Movies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity Entertainmenthttp://www.pokerlistings.com
The latest news and information about poker in Movies, TV and across the world of entertainment. Find your favorite poker playing celebs here.en-usRyan Reynolds, Sienna Miller Star in Mississippi Grindhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Mississippi-Grind.jpg320

A new poker-driven character piece about "southern drifters, gamblers, lost souls and con men" is set to make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind is a road film about two strangers who play their way towards a high-stakes poker tournament in New Orleans.

Also starring American Sniper's Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton and Alfre Woodard the writer/director team of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden told Entertainment Weekly they were inspired by a classic poker film of the 70s - Robert Altman's California Split.

“We shot in lived-in, down and dirty places that you don’t see too much in modern movies these days," Fleck said. "It lives in a ’70s kind of palette.”

Comedy-Drama Originally Slated for Gyllenhaal

According to the Google synopsis here's the basic plotline:

Destination: New Orleans

"Gerry (Mendelsohn) is a talented poker player, but his gambling habit is getting the best of him. One day, he meets a charismatic young traveler named Curtis (Reynolds).

"Deeming Curtis his lucky charm, Gerry convinces him that they should hit the road together.

"As they gamble their way down South toward a legendary high-stakes poker game in New Orleans, the trip's highs and lows unveil the duo's true character and motivation, and an undeniable bond forms between them."

The two travel through St. Louis, Memphis and Mississippi on the way to New Orleans stoping at "all varieties of dog tracks, horse tracks, and rundown casinos."

Based on early discussions in 2012 Jake Gyllenhaal was originally pegged to play the role of Curtis before Reynolds stepped in in 2013.

Filming took place between January and March last year with the cast and crew spotted at the IP Casino Resort in Biloxi, Ms, among other locations.

There has only ever been one good poker movie and it was called Rounders.

A Torrid Love Affair with Money

Many impostors have tried, and failed, to live up to the level of greatness set by Mike, Worm and Teddy KGB.

After the complete bummer that was Runner Runner I began to lose all hope of ever seeing my favorite game immortalized on the silver screen as it once did when John Dahl turned Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s writing into a visual poker masterpiece.

A cameo role from a young lady most of us have seen create some steam in the bedroom: Paris Hilton.

Cocaine-sharing sessions with WSOP bracelet winner Layne Flack. Stories of the prevalence of drugs within the poker community including players winning huge amounts of money whilst stoned off their faces.

What about the rock 'n' roll? Well, Boyd was a founding member of a young group of poker players known as The Crew.

These kids walked into the WSOP, grabbed it by the short and curlies and spun it senseless, walking away with more gold and cash than Jack Sparrow.

It wouldn’t be long before The Crew were being splayed all over Rolling Stone magazine. Except Boyd would miss the photo shoot after being banged up in a mental hospital in an incident he declares “was the first time I was sent to a mental hospital when there was nothing wrong with me.”

It's All About the Characters

“When I walked into Binion’s, I was met with a strong sense of déjà vu. The series is like a TV sitcom with the same characters, the same basic plot points every year. The same dealers, the same game and the same players," writes Boyd.

Third bracelet this summer for Boyd; no end in sight for cycle of bust and boom.

And this is exactly why Poker Tilt is a must-make/must-see movie. It’s all about the characters. It’s all about Boyd.

Just moments before stepping onto the final-table stage, the founder of the 2+2 Poker Forum, Mason Malmuth, issued Boyd with a garnishment writ to ensure he would receive $60,000 that Boyd owed him for a lost court case.

As Boyd writes, "Billions or bust. Rinse and repeat. There is no end to this cycle."

Author Lee Davy spends his time helping people quit drinking at NeedyHelper.com. He also writes for the poker and gambling industry.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:01:59 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/why-dutch-boyd-s-poker-tilt-is-the-next-must-make-poker-movie-89988/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/why-dutch-boyd-s-poker-tilt-is-the-next-must-make-poker-movie-89988/http://www.pokerlistings.com/why-dutch-boyd-s-poker-tilt-is-the-next-must-make-poker-movie-89988/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentGarrett Adelstein Blindsided in First Episode of Survivor: Cagayanhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/garrettadelstein.png320

High-stakes poker pro Garrett Adelstein became one of the rare contestants to get snuffed his first episode of Survivor despite possessing an immunity idol last night.

Adelstein was featured prominently in the first episode of Survivor: Cagayan and ended up being a casualty of some bizarre decisions by his Brains tribe at the second tribal council.

Despite snagging an immunity idol on the very first day of play, Adelstein felt so confident in his position on his tribe he decided not to use it. He was blindsided in the vote 3-2.

“It was really embarrassing in a lot of different ways,” said Adelstein after the vote.

Despite being categorized as the smart tribe, the Brains tribe made some of the most questionable decisions in the history of Survivor.

Adelstein's 'Brains' Tribe Loses First Two Immunity Challenges

Garrett Adelstein at the PCA.

The Brains tribe dropped two consecutive challenges and then voted out their two strongest members in Miami Marlins President David Samson and Adelstein.

Nuclear engineer J’Tia Taylor, who was on the chopping block, decided to exact revenge on the tribe by throwing all their rice in the fire. The tribe opted to keep Taylor and instead vote out Adelstein.

“This is the oddest tribe I’ve ever seen,” said the stunned host Jeff Probst after the final vote.

While Adelstein’s biggest mistake was obviously not playing his hidden immunity idol, he also made the classic blunder of running an open forum about who to vote out just before tribal council.

His tribemates resented being forced to strategize in the open and instead decided to vote out Adelstein.

Jean-Robert Bellande, who finished ninth in Survivor: China, remains the longest lasting poker player to take part in the CBS reality show.

Adelstein appeared optimistic on Twitter after the show:

Welp, looks like a time to start submitting applications for bogus supplement products/other late night infomercials #MustExtendRelevancy

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 27 Feb 2014 08:42:02 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/garrett-adelstein-blindsided-in-first-episode-of-survivor-cagayan-93479/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/garrett-adelstein-blindsided-in-first-episode-of-survivor-cagayan-93479/http://www.pokerlistings.com/garrett-adelstein-blindsided-in-first-episode-of-survivor-cagayan-93479/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentGarrett Adelstein on Survivor: Cagayan: “People Knew What They Were Doing”http://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/garrettadelstein.png320

Because both games involve deception and bluffing, there’s always been a ton of parallels between poker and CBS reality sensation Survivor.

So it's not a complete surprise another poker player (following Jean-Robert Bellande in Survivor: China and Jim Rice in Survivor: South Pacific) was cast in the upcoming Survivor: Cagayan.

The biggest difference, however, may be the intense amount of preparation the meticulous Garrett Adelstein, a legitimate online poker force, went through leading up to the contest.

When Adelstein found out he would be on the show he did what any good young online poker player does to move up stakes: he studied.

While not originally a fan of Survivor, when Adelstein made it to the final stages of casting he invested over 2,000 hours in preparation and watched all 27 seasons of the show. Twice.

It was somewhat similar to how Adelstein approached online poker when he was just starting out by consuming every piece of poker literature he could get his hands on.

PokerListings had the opportunity to chat with Adelstein today about appearing on one of the world’s most popular reality shows.

PokerListings: Can you talk about the process that got you on Survivor?

Garrett Adelstein: Brains tribe not the best spot for him.

Garrett Adelstein: Unfortunately I have to admit I was not an applicant. Which kind of makes me sad, especially when I heard about how hard people work to get on the show. I was very fortunate to be approached at a bar by a couple people in casting.

I kind of suspected they were looking for a particular type of contestant. I let them know I was a poker player, which I didn’t think they expected, and I believe that ended up being a bit fortunate for me because I think poker players are a natural fit on Survivor.

PL: You were selected for the Brains tribe but it kind of seems like you could have fit in any of the tribes. If you could have chosen, which tribe would you have put yourself in.

Not the Brains tribe. [Laughs] I can’t get into that too much. The viewing public does know we were split into three tribes and you could probably make an assumption that the Brains tribe is probably going to be of the highest intellect. Being purely theoretical: that’s really problematic for my game.

I had some really specific ideas about what I was going to say I did for work. I wanted to use my outer appearance and be like “Hey I’m the young, athletic guy who doesn’t know about anything. You can be the smart person that guides me.”

I had to come up with something to explain why I was on that tribe. Without question that was one of many, many challenges. I think that’s sorta the name of the game of Survivor: facing adversity and adapting.

Either of the other tribes would have been a better situation for me, though.

PL: You’re a professional poker player. Can you talk a little about how you got into the game and some of your friends in the community?

Adelstein mentor and friend Phil Galfond

My story is one you’ve heard 10 million times before. I fell in love with poker like many, many other people, when I was in high school back when ESPN blew up with the 2003 WSOP and Chris Moneymaker.

Interestingly enough, most of my close friends aren’t really poker players. I think sometimes the poker world can lose a bit of touch with reality. My real-life friends keep me grounded.

Probably the two closest friends I have in poker are Phil Galfond and Jason Senti.

PL: You spent a lot of time watching the old seasons of Survivor. While you were doing your preparation, what sorts of conclusions did you come to about what was the best way to win or the things you just cannot do?

There are just so many things you cannot do. The biggest thing – and the one I worked on the most – was keeping your emotions in check.

You need to always play the social game. I watched so many seasons where otherwise competent players would make these terrible social blunders and when it came time for the final tribal council people were just unwilling to give them a million dollars.

You have to play the social game at all times. That means treating people with kindness and respect and being genuinely empathetic towards whatever is going on in their lives.

It also means just playing the game. Don’t sit and sleep on bamboo all day when you could be listening to someone else’s problems. You have a lot of free time. It’s important to utilize it.

PL: It generated a lot of buzz in the poker world when Jean-Robert Bellande appeared on Survivor: China. How would you rank Bellande as first a poker player, and second, as a Survivor contestant?

Jean-Robert Bellande finished eighth in Survivor: China.

I’ve actually never played against Jean-Robert, which is somewhat surprising. I don’t think I’ve ever met him. I’ve heard he’s a talented poker player and everything he does in the media is kind of a shtick. He’s actually quite good.

From a Survivor perspective I guess I wasn’t the biggest fan of his game. He did a lot of things that were pretty close to direct contradiction to what I was trying to do out there.

He was a bit combative. He had this plan of almost being purposely disliked, which I didn’t find to be a good strategy.

That said, aside from the social game, I’m sure he had a decent feel for the nuances of the game. It’s tough. Everyone is going to get edited a certain way. We really don’t know. He didn’t even get that much screen time.

I can’t say I’d put him up there as one of my biggest influences, though.

PL: Which Survivor contestant do you think was the greatest and which season is your favorite?

I’m going to go with Kim Spradlin, in part because I’m absolutely in love with her, but in all seriousness I do think she played the best game I’ve ever seen.

She dominated her season in a way we’ve never seen before as opposed to Boston Rob in season 22 having already competed three times. Rob is a fantastic Survivor player too.

Kim Spradlin is the GOAT, according to Adelstein

The way Kim dominated socially it opened up my eyes. Everybody loved Kim. Every single person on that season would do anything and everything to ensure that she won. That might be a testament to how poor the other players were on her season but I think Kim deserves some credit for that.

Survivor has insane amounts of variance. You can’t even put it into words. Poker players understand that poker has way more variance than they would like at times but it’s not even close to Survivor. It would be some extreme multiple.

The beauty of Kim’s game was that she set up this blueprint where there were so many different ways for her to win. So many things could have gone against her that season and she still would have found a way to win.

There are a few others I have a lot of respect for including Yul Kwon in Survivor: Cook Islands and Brian Heidik in Suvivor: Thailand.

My favorite seasons were 16 and 20. They were special seasons. I thought Tocantins was a really well done season. Philippines, where they had three tribes, was also great.

Watching and re-watching Philippines was really important for me. Going from two to three tribes is almost like going from Limit to No-Limit Hold’em. The game is much different.

PL: Obviously poker is a lot harder than it was in the early 2000s. Do you think Survivor has evolved in a similar way and current contestants play the game at a higher level?

Adelstein at the 2008 PCA.

That’s a great question. Yes, it certainly has. I think people are going to love this season. I really do. There are several reasons but #1 is that people just know what they are doing. You have a lot of savvy Survivor players.

This is what’s fascinating to me: you watch a lot of players in the 17-23 seasons of the show and people are still TERRIBLE at Survivor. It’s not as if they don’t have a wide array of references to go off.

They were just casting people who didn’t care. You have to give a lot of credit to the casting department in this season for making sure they cast a group of people who know Survivor, know how to play and love the game.

That increase of skill level is going to make for a much better season. It’s the opposite of poker where facing much better players makes for a worse experience when you are sitting at the table.

PL: Do you think there are any well-known poker players who would be good Survivor contestants?

Oh yeah. Here’s the thing about it. I think to qualify the person would have to be a good poker player and smart. That creates a pretty long list. Moving on, I think you just want someone who would have a really great social game. Someone who could connect to all sorts of people.

Who else but Daniel Negreanu would be a good Survivor?

The first answer that comes to me, and this is going to sound so typical, is Daniel Negreanu. He can relate to everyone, he’s the funnest guy ever at the table. I think he would do really well.

But as long as Survivor keeps filming over the summer and Daniel Negreanu keeps winning 10 bracelets a year that might be impossible.

PL: What has the response been like from the poker community after finding out you were going to be on the show?

I think the response from the poker media, and social media in general, has been fun but it’s not real. I get all these Twitter messages, Facebook friend requests, 2+2 threads and it’s great. It’s all fun but I don’t take it too seriously. It’s the virtual world.

It’s not the biggest thing in my world, I just have a few more things to come home to. The coolest thing about it is getting to reconnect with people. It definitely puts a smile on my face.

PL: Will we see you a bit more on the live tournament circuit now or are you going to pretty much stick to cash games?

I’m going to play the Main Event. I play the Main Event every year, minus last year, and that year where they actually hit the cap and like 500 people didn’t get to play.

I feel like what often happens is that every year I’ll be like “Oh I hate tournaments more than anything and I’m not going” then I’ll have like five friends win six-figure scores and I’ll get pissed off about it.

So I’ll make my way out there, play two tournaments, and then realize how much I hate it again. Then I’ll go directly home until the Main Event.

Adelstein Fits into Brains Team in All-New Survivor Concept

Adelstein will be a member of the Brains team on Survivor: Cagayan, which is the 28th season of the show. This year the show is split into three different tribes at the beginning based on Brains, Beauty and Brawn.

The show is set to premier on Feb. 26, 2014.

Adelstein is not the only expert game player on Survivor: Cagayan. He’ll start Survivor on the same team as former high school chess champion Spencer Bledsoe.

It’s worth noting that Jean-Robert Bellande made it to eighth place in Survivor: China so Adelstein would certainly do his best to last even longer.

Here's a video interview of Adelstein for CBS:

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:07:07 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/uncovering-garrett-adelstein-poker-s-newest-survivor-40048/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/uncovering-garrett-adelstein-poker-s-newest-survivor-40048/http://www.pokerlistings.com/uncovering-garrett-adelstein-poker-s-newest-survivor-40048/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPokerStars Launches Shark Cage with $1m Up for Grabshttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0541.JPG320

Swimming with the sharks has never been more lucrative thanks to PokerStars’ newest made-for-TV Shark Cage series that will offer a $1 million first-place prize.

The innovative event is made up of a series of eight heats where one online qualifier will face off against five poker pros or celebrities.

The players who win their respective heats will be sent to London to participate in a final $1 million winner-take-all match of the Shark Cage.

Beyond the money and the celebrities the Sit & Go-style Shark Cage also offers a unique format.

The entire show will take place at a table with a nearby cage where players will be sent if they get bluffed on the river. They will remain there for an entire orbit.

Meanwhile the players who successfully bluff their opponent on the river will receive extra chips if they make it to the final in London. In addition there will be no deals in London. The winner will receive $1 million.

Alexander, Veldhuis, Harman Take Part in First Shark Cage

Gareth Cole and his competition

The first heat took place at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas yesterday with U.K. qualifier Gareth “kingcoles80” Coles taking on Lex Veldhuis, Jennifer Harman, Tony Dunst, Phil Laak and Jason Alexander.

While results are kept secret Coles spoke about his experience in the heat.

“It was absolutely amazing,” he said. “At the start I was really nervous because I’d never played in a televised poker tournament.”

Coles works as a retail salesman in Cardiff but has been playing poker for seven years now.

“I wasn’t intimidated about the poker, because I know I can play a good game, it was more the cameras and being in the spotlight,” he said. “It was just amazing really.”

Even the pros, who can be jaded when it comes to new poker concepts, seemed to enjoy Shark Cage.

Lex Veldhuis said it was the most fun he’s had playing live poker in the last few years.

Another Shark Cage heat will take place in the Bahamas with further heats to be held in Monaco and Barcelona. The final event will take place in London next fall with the televised show to follow.

The long-awaited sequel to iconic poker movie Rounders is now officially a go, Deadline Hollywood reported this morning.

A new deal bringing renowned Hollywood producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein back to Miramax has freed up "creative properties in the library," meaning Rounders 2 is an "instantaneous" go according to Harvey:

Card Game in Paris, De Niro Supervillain

“I’ve discussed making Rounders 2 with Matt Damon and I would say that’s going to be instantaneous,” Weinstein said.

“The guys [writers David Levien and Brian Koppelman] have a great idea, a way to make it more international where you start the card game in Paris, that’s all I want to say.

"There might be a certain beautiful Parisian actress involved in it, and then we’re off to the racetrack and Vegas with Matty and Edward Norton, and a new supervillain to replace John Malkovich.”

According to Deadline Weinstein is trying to enlist Robert De Niro for the supervillain role.

Both Damon and Norton had confirmed previously they were happy to reprise their roles as law student-turned poker pro Mike McDermott and his less-than-noble pal Worm.

Among the other projects to get the go ahead are a sequel to Shakespeare In Love and "series transfers" of Good Will Hunting and Flirting With Disaster.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Mon, 16 Dec 2013 07:59:50 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/rounders-2-gets-go-ahead-de-niro-may-join-damon-norton-86851/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/rounders-2-gets-go-ahead-de-niro-may-join-damon-norton-86851/http://www.pokerlistings.com/rounders-2-gets-go-ahead-de-niro-may-join-damon-norton-86851/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentWin $1m, Travel the World, Battle Stars on The Shark Cagehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG3976.JPG320

A seat with the game's biggest pros under the TV lights. Trips to The Bahamas, Monaco, Barcelona and London. $1 million up for grabs for the winner.

Penalties for being bluffed or caught bluffing. Just 30 seconds to make your decisions.

Sound appealing? Then you probably want in on this weeks' online qualifiers for The Shark Cage, a new TV show from PokerStars being filmed at four stops on the European Poker Tour this year.

What is The Shark Cage?

The Shark Cage will be eight heats in total filmed at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, EPT Barcelona, the EPT Grand Final and EPT London.

Each heat will have five top pros and one online qualifier playing for a seat in the final with $1,000,000 on the table for the winner - no deals allowed and winner take all.

Expect to see this guy along the way.

Making things even more interesting are some unique rules including a 30-second clock to make your decisions, one-orbit penalties for getting bluffed or having your bluff called on the river and more.

How to Qualify Online

Online qualifier tournaments take place daily at 15:00 ET starting today, November 25, and run until November 30.

The top 50 finishers in each qualifier advance to the casting stage where you’re invited to send in a two-minute video audition. PokerStars will review all submissions and select two winners who show the most personality, enthusiasm and talent.

The first two heats of The Shark Cage show will take place at the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). Two qualifiers will win a seat in the heats plus a trip to The Bahamas including return flights for two, double room at the Atlantis and $800 credited to your room.

Claim an unlimited amount of free tickets to the qualifiers by making a deposit with specific bonus codes. See all the details here.

Sign up for a new PokerStars account via our PokerStars review page and also be eligible for a $600 bonus and weekly $500 added freerolls.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 17 Sep 2013 07:10:48 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/boston-rob-just-misses-wsopc-ring-finishes-third-55729/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/boston-rob-just-misses-wsopc-ring-finishes-third-55729/http://www.pokerlistings.com/boston-rob-just-misses-wsopc-ring-finishes-third-55729/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentBet Raise Fold's Krantz: 'We Had a Moral Obligation to Make This Movie'http://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jason-rosenkrantz-23500.jpg320

Producer Jay Rosenkrantz is hopeful the new documentary Bet Raise Fold will give misunderstood poker players something they’ve never had before: a voice.

The ambitious documentary has been in development since 2006 but will finally premiere with a special private screening at Palm’s Casino on June 12.

“It’s really surreal that in a week there are going to be almost 200 people in a movie theater watching our movie,” said Rosenkrantz in a phone interview with PokerListings.

Despite its long development, or perhaps even because of it, excitement has reached a fever pitch for the film.

Bet Raise Fold Smashes Kickstarter Goal in 24 Hours

Bet Raise Fold set for release June 30.

Last week the crew (which includes filmmaker Ryan Firpo and producer Taylor Caby) started a Kickstarter to raise $20,000 to assist in distribution. Supporters responded in a huge way.

In less than 24 hours they easily topped $20k and at the time this story was published the project had blown past $27k.

Fans are desparate to see the finished project.

Everyone on the Bet Raise Fold team has been blown away by the response but Rosenkrantz has a theory why people seem to be connecting with the project.

“This is everyone’s story,” said Rosenkrantz. “You just can’t beat a community that’s passionate. You can’t beat what social media can do for you.”

The bottom line for Rosenkrantz is that Bet Raise Fold is unlike anything that’s been produced in the poker world.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a movie about online poker like this,” he said. “This is an entirely new beast. Every other poker movie is chicken and this is steak.”

Black Friday Changes Everything

Lederer's life certainly changed after April 15, 2011.

To say Rosenkrantz has a personal investment in the film would be an understatement.

Rosenkrantz, who went to film school, was a successful high-stakes player in the mid-2000s. He gained enough notoriety to be cast in the Reality TV show 2 Months $2 Million on G4.

Making Bet Raise Fold, which was originally titled Boom, was a challenge even before Black Friday, according to Rosenkrantz.

With the explosion of online poker, the Ultimate Bet scandal, UIGEA and the entire birth of a subculture there was more than enough to keep the filming crew busy.

Then Black Friday happened.

Suddenly the Bet Raise Fold crew was right in the middle of the collapse of the online poker industry in the U.S. Not only were they documenting Black Friday, they were living it.

“We all had to deal with Black Friday on a personal level,” he said. “It was really challenging but we really felt, especially after Black Friday, that we had this moral obligation to do the best job that we could.”

“We were able to capture the drama as it unfolded. We felt like we were the only chance for poker players to have their voices heard.”

Poker Fans Flock to Kickstarter Project

The WSOP Main Event in 2008.

Now over five years into the development of Bet Raise Fold, Rosenkrantz has been investigating numerous ways to distribute the film.

Kickstarter, which began in 2009, seemed like a good way to not only raise funds to distribute the film but also interact with the poker-playing community.

“I honestly wish Kickstarter had been around when we started making the movie,” said Rosenkrantz. "We would have started with a Kickstarter."

Regardless the project has been a runaway success on crowd-funding site.

“We wanted people to take ownership of this story,” he said. “We never imagined they would respond like this. It happened so fast that we’ve been rushing to come up with stretch goals, while planning this premiere in Las Vegas.”

Kickstarter: More Than Just a Way to Raise Funds

Actor/Director Zack Braff's Kickstarter

Over the last few weeks the biggest news on Kickstarter has been the amount of flack Hollywood actor Zack Braff has taken for raising funds for his movie Wish I Was Here instead of funding it himself.

Now a successful Kickstarter user himself, Rosenkrantz has his own perspective on the controversy.

“I think he gets a lot of crap and it’s a little bit unfair,” he said.

“Kickstarter gives fans a way to invest in the process and that’s a really fun thing. It gives you a direct tie to the people who are making things.”

Rosenkrantz has contributed to several Kickstarter projects and loved the experience. He helped fund the upcoming Veronica Mars movie and actually got to meet creator Rob Thomas as a result.

“I think Zack Braff validates Kickstarter more than anything,” he said. “There are people who wanted to be a part of his project. If there weren’t, it would have failed.”

Bet Raise Fold International Release Date Set for June 30

A featured player in Bet Raise Fold: Tony Dunst.

The more funds that Bet Raise Fold raises on Kickstarter, the better chance it has of getting widely distributed.

With $20k in the bag, the team has already set about setting some stretch goals for the project to fans who still want to contribute.

“We want to figure out some more free stuff to give to everyone,” said Rosenkrantz.

Rosenkrantz has also been in talks with numerous poker pros who offered to provide free coaching.

Rosenkrantz even spoke with vaunted cash game player Tom “durrrr” Dwan (who is a producer on Bet Raise Fold). It’s unclear if Dwan will actually provide coaching but Rosenkrantz mentioned he will be involved somehow.

The next step for the project is hopefully to do a nation-wide tour with the movie, leading up to its global release on June 30.

Rosenkrants is hopeful the movie will have legs beyond the poker industry because of the compelling nature of the culture.

“We could really use the support of the entire poker industry on this one,” said Rosenkrantz.

“The story of online poker is just so crazy that the public should know it. We put our souls into making this. We just wanted to do justice to this game that was such a defining part of our lives.”

Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker will be available for purchase digitally for $9.99 on June 30 here. You can also support the project via Kickstarter here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-reveals-we-are-poker-tv-ads-76936/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-reveals-we-are-poker-tv-ads-76936/http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-reveals-we-are-poker-tv-ads-76936/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentEditor's Pick: How I Made My First Million from Poker by Tri Nguyenhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/How-I-Made-My-First-Million-Tri-Nguyen.jpg320

Prolific poker strategy writer Tri “SlowHabit” Nguyen is back with another book, building on the concepts Barry Greenstein put forward in Ace on the River and making them relevant for a new generation of poker professionals.

Dropping on December 15th, the title is How I Made My First Million from Poker and in it Nguyen says that poker players vastly undervalue personal well-being and how it translates to success at the tables.

If there was a core message in this text it’s the idea that at the higher levels of poker, there is little difference in the technical competence of successful players and that big profits depend on how well a person can manage themselves, their tilt and their lives.

“If I had to put a percentage on it I’d say it should be 60-40 with 60 being the amount of time you spend on the mental side,” Nguyen told PokerListings.com.

“In poker, once you get past the hand reading and playing the flop and the turn and everything it takes to succeed as a small stakes player it becomes more important to spend time on your mental game.

“You play better and you learn more and you have a lot more energy to improve your game if you feel good inside,” Nguyen continued.

What To Expect from How I Made My First Million

The book reads as a collection of meditations on the many facets of professional poker, rarely examining specific hands or even specific strategy concepts. Nguyen draws a line between learning how to play poker and understanding how to be a successful poker pro.

The sections are punctuated by worksheets to help you put the key ideas into practice.

And while the book does focus on bigger concepts than how to play A-K from the blinds or balancing your river-bluff range, it would be unfair to say that it’s not strategy-specific.

But instead of giving you specific tricks to succeed in today’s game, Nguyen attempts to give you the tools needed to stay passionate in your study and effective in your execution of poker strategy as the game evolves in years to come.

Tri Nguyen has outlasted many of his peers as a consistently winning cash player.

And if this book’s connection to Ace on the River wasn’t sufficiently self-evident, Barry Greenstein actually penned the foreward for HIMMFMFP.

New Advice for a New Generation

Greenstein writes, “Tri has taken my idea and made it relevant for today's online players. He has an easy-to-read style and he speaks in the vernacular of the modern player.”

An example of what Greenstein is referring to can be found on page 70:

To draw an analogy, for me to suggest that you quit while you're on tilt is akin to someone asking you how to make good decisions when you're intoxicated in a strip club. You won't. What you should do while you're sober is leave your credit card and wallet at home. Take only your identification card and whatever cash you are willing to spend, as determined during a time when you are thinking clearly. You aren't going to remember this advice while you are drunk out of your mind and the smell of sex is flowing in the air. You just have to trust me on this.

And while this book is aimed specifically at the poker pro who wants to take his profession to the next level, it’s a provocative read for anyone interested in expanding how they think about the game.

Nguyen’s latest book will retail for $47, already marked down from its list price of $97 despite not yet having been released.

If that sounds high consider that Nguyen’s previous book, Let There Be Range, which he co-authored with Cole South, sells today for $947.

High Stakes Poker, one of the most celebrated TV shows in poker history, has officially been removed from the GSN schedule.

According to a story with buzzerblog.com, High Stakes Poker will no longer be shown on the network effective Jan. 2, 2012.

The show reportedly lost a good portion of its audience when Norm Macdonald recently took over from Gabe Kaplan.

High Stakes Poker started airing way back in 2006 and quickly built a reputation as a favorite amongst hardcore poker fans.

Following a simple No-Limit Hold’em high stakes cash game format the show showcased famous pros such as Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman as well as rich amateurs such as Cirque de Soleil CEO Guy Laliberte putting their own money on the table.

The show was originally hosted by Gabe Kaplan, who was later joined by AJ Benza and then Kara Scott in an interviewer role.

Some of the highlights over the years included Brad Booth’s memorable bluff with 4-2 versus Phil Ivey with pocket kings, Tom Dwan “posterizing” Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu’s awful luck and several pots that nearly topped the $1 million mark.

Norm Replace Gabe, Full Tilt Pros Opt Out

In 2011 comedian and poker player Norm Macdonald replaced Kaplan on the show to mixed reviews.

It didn’t help that prior to Black Friday, Full Tilt also pulled out of the show meaning Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Mike Matusow, David Benyamine and the rest of Team Full Tilt were absent from the program.

GSN mentioned this summer it was going to be scaling back its poker offerings after online poker’s Black Friday forced major players such as PokerStars out of the U.S. market.

It remains to be seen if another network expresses interest in the show but if it is indeed canceled it will be yet another shelved TV show that involved Norm Macdonald.

Since leaving Saturday Night Live, Macdonald has starred in The Norm Show, A Minute with Stan Hooper and most recently Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, which have all been canceled.

Brian Roberts co-starred in the poker reality show 2 Months 2 Million but feels that G4 TV doomed the project by failing to give it the financial backing it needed.

“It was hugely net-positive for me,” Roberts said of his experience on 2M2MM.

“If I have any regrets they stem from the fact that we didn’t get picked up for a second season,” he told PokerListings.com in Cannes earlier this week during the WSOPE main event final table.

“I can blame the production or I can blame my performance, I can blame the choice to go with G4 as a network and the fact that they were incredibly cheap and scared to death of doing original programming that actually cost something.

“They were so scared of making a TV show that cost anything that I think it hurt us and hurt our chances of building a fan base and securing a second season,” he added.

Ten episodes of the series aired in 2009, covering Brian Roberts and three other pro poker players living together in a house in Las Vegas. The goal was to earn $2 million between them playing online poker.

While they ultimately fell short of that number, they did post over $676,000 in profits during their time shooting. That works out to over $84,000 per person, per month.

G4 switched the show’s time slot mid-season, from Sunday night to Wednesday, and failed to renew it for a second season after the finale aired in October of 2009.

“I wanted to make a second season so much because with everything we learned shooting and putting together the first season, we would have come up with a product that was exponentially better,” Roberts said.

Roberts said that he would be happy to be involved in another 2M2MM season, but that while he does see potential, it’s not something he’s currently pushing for.

“I’m a lazy poker player,” said Roberts. “I’m not shopping it and I’m certainly not going to pay to have it made.”

On air for seven years and one of poker’s most popular television shows, the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship will not return to the air in 2012.

According to the report from Wicked Chops Poker, NBC Sports Senior Director of Communications Adam Freifeld said that although it won’t air next year NBC will “continue to evaluate” its poker programming for the future.

Last year’s winner of the
$20,000 buy-in Heads-Up Championship was Erik Seidel, who defeated 2003 WSOP Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker for the title and $750,000.

Seidel also made the finals in 2010 where he lost to Epic Poker League Commissioner Annie Duke.

The invite-only, 64-player tournament was the first poker tournament to be produced by a major American television network.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-cancels-heads-up-championship-for-2012-98404/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-cancels-heads-up-championship-for-2012-98404/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-cancels-heads-up-championship-for-2012-98404/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentFormer Poker Pro in Cast of Survivor: South Pacifichttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/JimRiceHPT.jpg320

The casting team at CBS’ Survivor has dipped back into the poker pool for a new member of the cast for Survivor 23: South Pacific.

James Rice III, or “Jim” as he's called on the show, has been confirmed as one of the castaways for the latest season shot in Samoa and airing beginning Sept. 14.

Rice mentions his professional poker career in his pre-interviews for the season although for the show he's identified under his newest line of work - running two medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver, Colorado.

Only four or five are listed in his online profiles with the biggest being a win in a $2k No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2006 WPT Festa al Lago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Rice took home $116,525 for the win, beating Jean “Prince” Gaspard who came second, Brian Rast who finished fourth, Minh Nguyen in fifth and Chip Jett in sixth.

He also has a small cash on the Heartland Poker Tour from 2006 and a third-place finish for $66k in this year’s HTP event at the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.

In his interview with the HPT after his third-place finish he said he was confident he was the best player at the table and his “confidence comes from playing poker my entire life. I’m most comfortable with two cards in my hand.”

JRB: Survivor's first poker foray.

Among the 35-year-old Rice’s other Survivor bio details are that he’s “worked on Wall Street, started several successful businesses and earned his MBA at a top five school from the University of Michigan.”

He adds that he thinks “No one with my combination of character, intelligence, cunning and athleticism has ever been on Survivor."

Survivor: South Pacific premieres on CBS on Wednesday, Sept. 14th with a 90-minute preview episode.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/former-poker-pro-in-cast-of-survivor-south-pacific-57788/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/former-poker-pro-in-cast-of-survivor-south-pacific-57788/http://www.pokerlistings.com/former-poker-pro-in-cast-of-survivor-south-pacific-57788/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentEpic Poker League to Air on CBS, Velocityhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG6017.JPG320

With its inaugural season about to begin, the Epic Poker League has now revealed where you’ll be able to watch it: CBS and Velocity.

All told, 20 hours of Epic Poker League programming will air with 7 hours scheduled for weekends on CBS and 13 hours on Velocity, a new network aimed at high-income males to be launched by Discovery.

Velocity will also re-air the CBS episodes. Air dates for the shows are expected to be released later in the summer.

Long-time sports anchor Pat O’Brien, of CBS Sports and Access Hollywood fame, will host with Ali Nejad of Poker After Dark as the primary analyst.

441 Productions, the company behind ESPN’s World Series of Poker telecasts from 2003-2010 (they were replaced by Poker PROductions this year), will produce the shows.

Among the pros who have qualified for the top 200 include Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Jason Mercier, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Matt Marafioti and Phil Hellmuth.

Five exclusive tournaments in total will be played with the first set for August 9-12 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

The first four events each have a $20,000 buy-in with $400,000 added to the prize pool.

The season is capped off with a $1 million Championship freeroll for the top 27 players in February.

According to FS+G chief exec Jeffrey Pollack, who spoke with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the shows will dig into the players' personalities and background along with the action at the table and will introduce the audience to players they may not already be familiar with.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/epic-poker-league-to-air-on-cbs-velocity-86584/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/epic-poker-league-to-air-on-cbs-velocity-86584/http://www.pokerlistings.com/epic-poker-league-to-air-on-cbs-velocity-86584/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPoker World Embraces New Poker Flickhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jeff-madsen-30591.jpg320

The poker world may have a new hit movie on its hands.

The independent comedy Hitting the Nuts: The True Story of the Scott County Series of Poker has many in the poker world singing its praises after its DVD release April 15.

2006 World Series of Poker Player of the Year Jeff Madsen is a fan.

“Hitting the Nuts is without question the funniest poker movie ever made," he said. "The film is committed to making fun of poker and the crazy personalities who love this great game, and that makes it fun to watch. I enjoyed every second of it.”

Blogger James Guill of PokerJunkie.com is on board as well.

“Hitting the Nuts was a bit over the top at times, but so is our game," he wrote in his April 25 review of the film.

"The town, its people, and even the game were totally believable, and had you not known this was a 'mockumentary,' you might think it was a true story. I would recommend that anyone go online and purchase a copy of this DVD.”

And the film's Producer and Director Joe Boyd says all the hype is beginning to turn into sales.

“Since last Friday we have sold over half of our initial run of DVDs," he said. "Hundreds were pre-ordered and it hasn’t slowed down since our release on the 15th.”

The film has also garnered some critical success, winning at both the 2010 Cincinnati Film Festival and the 2011 Derby City Film Festival.

The DVD is currently only available at www.hittingthenuts.com, although Boyd says filmmakers are shopping it for wider distribution.

"We have no doubt the right company will want to partner with us on this. You can just feel the momentum building day after day. People who love comedy and poker are eating up this quirky, funny movie.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-world-embraces-new-poker-flick-42763/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-world-embraces-new-poker-flick-42763/http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-world-embraces-new-poker-flick-42763/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentESPN To Carry PCA Final Live On-Delayhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/atlantis-15718.jpg320

ESPN2 and ESPN3.com are planning a tape-delayed live broadcast of the final table of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event in the Bahamas next month.

“For the first time viewers at home will see a poker telecast from start to finish, with all the strategy of world-class poker players playing in real time and completely unedited,” said Matt Volk, ESPN manager, programming and acquisitions.

ESPN3.com will begin HD coverage with a one-hour, unedited delay at 5 p.m. ET Jan. 15 with ESPN2 HD joining in with a simulcast beginning at 10 p.m.

"This is one of the most exciting announcements ever in televised poker," said PokerStars.net North America Regional Marketing Director Joe Versaci.

"This is the first time people watching online or on TV will be able to see everything that happens at a poker table. So much happens in poker that never makes it to the final TV edit, but this will show exactly how top-level players go about winning a massive tournament.

"There’s so much money on the line – it’s going to be gripping.”

The $10,000+$300 PCA main event runs Jan. 8-15 at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and organizers are expecting a prize pool in the $20 million range with a $2 million first prize.

PokerListings.com will have live updates of the entire event from start to finish in our Live Coverage section.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:37:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/espn-to-carry-pca-final-live-on-delay-73260/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/espn-to-carry-pca-final-live-on-delay-73260/http://www.pokerlistings.com/espn-to-carry-pca-final-live-on-delay-73260/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentFox to Air PokerStars High Stakes Cash Showhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG2125.JPG320

PokerStars is filming a new high-stakes cash game TV show this May that will air on Fox five days a week starting in June.

The PokerStars.net Big Game will feature a table filled with some the world's best poker pros, including Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer.

Each week, top amateurs, a PokerStars SuperNova Elite player and one PokerStars.net qualifier, dubbed the Loose Cannon, will join the table.

Plus, to increase the action, the Loose Cannon will bring a $100,000 stake to the game and only be able to keep what he or she makes over that amount.

Should the qualifier turn a profit, he or she will then be given the choice to walk away or return for one more make-or-break session.

"This show has all the necessary bells and whistles to make it a monster success on television," said Negreanu. "It's a cash game, which all die hard poker fans prefer and it's guaranteed to be action packed with the introduction of the Loose Cannon.

"For the viewer and fan, not only will they get an inside look into how pros think about the game, but they'll also get a chance to actually appear on the show. I can't wait to play."

Blinds in the No-Limit Hold'em game will be set at $200/$400 with a $100 ante. Each session will go 150 hands.

The one-hour show, produced by M&M Productions and Hollybrook Regency, will be filmed in Las Vegas this May and begin airing on Fox June 14.

Presented by Amanda Leatherman, the show will also include player interviews and features delving into the lifestyles of the pros.

At the conclusion of 12 weeks on the air, the top Loose Cannon of the season will win a PokerStars.net NAPT Passport, giving him or her free entry into all NAPT events for the next year.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/fox-to-air-pokerstars-high-stakes-cash-show-55268/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/fox-to-air-pokerstars-high-stakes-cash-show-55268/http://www.pokerlistings.com/fox-to-air-pokerstars-high-stakes-cash-show-55268/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPokerStars Introduces New Cash Game TV Showhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0151.JPG320

The world of televised poker is getting another challenger with the PokerStars Big Game on the FOX network.

The new show is a high-stakes cash game that will feature $200/$400 No-Limit Hold'em with a $100,000 buy-in.

According to PokerStars some of the top poker players in the world will be invited including Daniel Negreanu.

In a new twist PokerStars will allow select qualifiers from the site to play in the Big Game.

The site is running qualifiers for the event and players in the US and Canada can play in free Big Game Round 1 qualifiers from now until June 25.

Winners will qualify for the Big Game final where the top 200 players will be invited to send PokerStars a casting video.

The players who are selected will be flown out and staked for $100,000 in the game by PokerStars. Whatever profit they make over $100,000 they will be allowed to keep.

No stranger to TV, PokerStars introduced the Million Dollar Challenge last year and is also sponsoring the "Did You Know" segment in the current season of High Stakes Poker.

High stakes cash games have become a popular format for poker TV shows and Poker After Dark, which is usually a six-player Sit and Go, recently added a $50,000 buy-in cash game episode to its schedule.

PokerStars has yet to announce when the show will be aired but the Big Game qualifiers can already be found in the poker room's lobby.

Norwegian Pro Andreas Høivold's time on the sixth season of High Stakes Poker may have been short, but the 2007 EPT Dortmund champ wouldn't change a check, bet, or fold.

"I had the honor of playing in what probably is the best poker game ever assembled," he told PokerListings. "I don't regret anything."

The Ladbrokes sponsored pro lasted just two episodes of the increasingly popular cash game show, dumping the last of the $200,000 he bought in for when he called all in on the turn holding A♥ Q♣ on a queen-high board against Full Tilt's Gus Hansen.

Unfortunately for Høivold, Hansen held a raggedy two pair and despite running the river twice, it held.

Outside of that hand, Høivold said he simply couldn't catch anything. Looking back now he is at least a little disappointed he didn't try to mix it up more.

"I was completely card dead and didn't flop a pair during the 4-5 hours I played," he said. "But I should have played better and more aggressively."

Like Phil Hellmuth on this season of HSP, Hoivold left his seat after losing a single $200k buy-in, choosing not to rebuy.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be back for more.

"I will probably have the chance if I want to," he said. "Time will tell if I take it or not. It all depends on what happens with poker in the future, not the least financially."

High Stakes Poker airs Sunday's at 8 p.m. on GSN.

- With files from Erik Pedersen

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/hivolds-high-stakes-poker-experience-46899/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/hivolds-high-stakes-poker-experience-46899/http://www.pokerlistings.com/hivolds-high-stakes-poker-experience-46899/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentNBC Heads-Up Field Releasedhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/huck-seed-29357.jpg320

The field for the 6th annual NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship was released Tuesday featuring a literal who's who of the poker world.

Familiar faces like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson will be back to compete in the bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money Mar. 5-7.

Plus, several newcomers including PokerListings Blogger and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada, 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, and High Stakes Poker host Kara Scott will be in the field of 64 trying to take down last year's champ Huck Seed.

"The lineup of competitors for this year's event is the best yet," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports.

"Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year."

The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace Mar. 4.

Below is a list of the entire 64-player field less seven spaces for online qualifiers.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-field-released-38790/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-field-released-38790/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-field-released-38790/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentTitan Poker Featured in New Travolta-Rhys Myers Flickhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/20100217-frompariswithlove800a.jpg320

Titan Poker will get a little big screen exposure this month with the site featured in the new John Travolta-Jonathan Rhys Meyers film From Paris with Love.

Co-written and produced by critically acclaimed French Director Luc Besson, whose production company partnered with Titan Poker to feature the online poker room on screen, the film follows Rhys Myers as a low-level CIA operative who dreams of becoming a bona fide agent and seeing some real action.

His first senior-level assignment has him partnered with a trigger-happy, wisecracking, loose cannon, played by Travolta, who's been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.

Titan Poker makes its Hollywood debut during a scene in which one of the film's characters is playing online poker.

As a promotion for the release of the film, Titan Poker's French site will be holding an exclusive From Paris with Love Tournament in which players can win up to $5,000.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/titan-poker-featured-in-new-travolta-flick-44776/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/titan-poker-featured-in-new-travolta-flick-44776/http://www.pokerlistings.com/titan-poker-featured-in-new-travolta-flick-44776/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentNBC Heads-Up Headed Back to Caesarshttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/the-money-shot-17761.jpg320

NBC's National Heads-Up Poker Championship is headed back to Caesars Palace for a sixth season.

The 6th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com will go off March 4-7 with 64 of the world's best poker players in squaring off and $1.5 million in prize money on the line.

"It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players," said Seed, who won it last year and is the only player in the history of the event to cash in all five years. "I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again."

New faces in this year's line-up will include 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada.

As always the tournament will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

"We're excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. "The National Heads-Up Poker Championship's compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike."

Model and television personality Leeann Tweeden will host with Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad providing commentary.

The single-elimination bracket-style tournament, with a best of three final, features a $500,000 first-place prize.

First round opponents will be chosen randomly during the tournament's Draw Party at Caesars' PURE Nightclub Thursday, March 4 with the matches beginning at 12 p.m. PT the next day.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:30:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-headed-back-to-caesars-38176/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-headed-back-to-caesars-38176/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-heads-up-headed-back-to-caesars-38176/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentHigh Stakes Poker 6 Set For Valentine's Day Premierhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8877.JPG320

GSN has a Valentine's Day gift for fans of High Stakes Poker.

The sixth season of the popular show will premier on the Network Sunday Feb. 14, featuring a familiar line-up of renowned poker champions, cash game specialists and promising up-and-comers.

Producers are also promising a brand-new look and feel for the show that puts viewers in the thick of the poker action.

Poker player and former European Poker Tour presenter Kara Scott will join Gabe Kaplan as co-host this season, but not before GSN airs an eight-hour "I LOVE POKER" marathon featuring highlights from past seasons of the show prior to the premier Sunday.

In addition to the usual cash-game action, Scott will report from the High Stakes Poker suite this season, interviewing players about strategy, table dynamics and giving viewers first-hand feedback after significant hands.

The glory that is the Atlantis Hotel and Casino, the warm island weather in Nassau and the crystal clear blue waters of the Caribbean didn’t draw a host of A-list celebrities to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure this week.

The game of poker did.

“I’m not going to quit my day job, but I really love poker and I think I’m getting better at it,” said guitar legend Slash, who joined a host of big name celebrities, sports stars and Team PokerStars Pros playing in the amfAR and PokerStars charity event at the PCA this week.

“It’s just such an amazing game. So many different things can happen. With all the different people involved and all the different possibilities with the cards, it’s just a fantastic game.”

R&B star Kelly Rowland just picked up poker, but spent the entire day before her performance at an exclusive PokerStars party held at Atlantis Saturday night playing the game.

“I’m getting more and more used to it,” she said. “And I’ll tell you one thing, after playing last night, I definitely want to have a girls’ night when I get back home.

“I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friends' money.”

Model and actress Joanna Krupa appeared on the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge this season and was named the TV hostess for the new PokerStars North American Poker Tour this week.

She also anted up for AIDS research and is apparently really taking to the game.

“It’s so funny because it’s so unexpected, you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “You might have the most amazing cards and still lose the hand or you might have crappy cards and still win. It’s definitely interesting, challenging and fun.

“I’m waiting for the time I’m actually going to play in a tournament with Joe (Cada) and Daniel (Negreanu). It’ll be fun and maybe I’ll learn their tricks of the trade and become a pro one day.”

'I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friends' money.'

2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole played in the main event at the PCA, sharing the felt with 2009 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada on Day 1.

She said she started playing about four months ago and found the competition in the Bahamas a little daunting.

“It was very nerve racking at the beginning,” she said. “But I love poker. It’s fun, especially for me because there aren’t a lot of girls in poker and there aren’t a lot of Playboy models in poker, so I get a funny reaction from people. The truth is I really like meeting all the boys.”

Both Nicole and Krupa said the poker pros they’ve met this week have been quick to offer a few tips, but Slash’s experience has been quite different.

“They don’t talk to me,” he laughed. “But it’s OK. We have a couple of home games that are mostly rock people and I’ve cleaned up there a couple of times already.”

However, the men aren’t being ignored completely as Carlos Bernard, from TV’s 24, said he was lucky enough to have the opportunity to pick a few PokerStars pros brains this week.

“I’m not hustling anybody right now,” he said. “So it’s been good to play with the pros and learn a few tricks.”

'I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friend’s money.'

But his reasons extend beyond the fact he beat Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the season finale of the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge on Fox to win $1 million.

In fact, that’s just the icing on the cake.

A former Detective Sergeant with the New York Police Department, Kosowski was on the job on Sept. 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center’s twin towers came down.

These days he considers himself lucky just to be alive.

“There’s no way I should have survived that day,” he told PokerListings from Nassau, Bahamas this week where he came to play in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. “You are talking about one lucky guy. That’s the way I look at it. I’m blessed.”

The sheer force created when the South Tower came down knocked Kosowski ten feet in the air. He went missing for the next three hours.

But despite suffering numerous injuries, he picked himself up off the ground and continued to work at Ground Zero for the next three weeks.

“We knew it was going to be a bad day, a lot of identification of bodies and that kind of stuff,” he said. “But we never thought the buildings would come down.”

Suffering from Induced Asthma and various other injuries, he was forced to give up his job with the NYPD in 2004.

By 2005, online poker had become his favorite pastime.

Kosowski sat with his wife one evening watching a World Series of Poker broadcast featuring Negreanu. When he explained his desire to play against the best of the best at the WSOP, she implored him to take the game more seriously, read more books and play live more often.

She also bought him tickets to see Tony Bennett perform in Atlantic City as an anniversary gift.

On that trip, he managed to chop his first real live tournament and within days of returning home, Kosowski had a prophetic dream.

“I had a dream that I played Daniel face to face and I beat him,” he said. “I woke up and I told my wife right there I’m going to play him face to face and I’m going to beat him.

“My wife was going to take me to a psychiatrist. She thought I was losing it.”

Kosowski started playing exclusively on PokerStars in 2006 and last year, when freerolls began running for a spot in the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge, he jumped at the chance to make his dream come true.

He won an opportunity to audition for the show and was eventually flown out to Los Angeles as an alternate.

In yet another stroke of luck, he got on the set, managed to win the elimination match and before he knew it, he was playing Negreanu heads-up with $1 million on the line.

“I just put my mind to it, got some good cards and I rolled over everybody at the table,” he explained. “Then when it came to Daniel, I just out-powered him in the final match. I got lucky and I beat him.”

With a million dollar bankroll now at his disposal, Kosowski says he has a new dream.

“My dream is to play in the World Series of Poker and I think I’m going to do that this year,” he said.

Lucky to have survived one of the greatest tragedies in American history only to go on and win $1 million on what is now the highest rated poker TV show of all time, the odds on a deep finish this summer have to be through the roof.

But Kosowski doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m a lucky guy,” he said with a smile. “I really feel blessed.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/the-luckiest-man-alive-73962/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/the-luckiest-man-alive-73962/http://www.pokerlistings.com/the-luckiest-man-alive-73962/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPoker After Dark Returnshttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/annette-obrestad-28383.jpg320

The sixth season of NBC’s Poker After Dark will begin airing this January and the show’s producers are promising plenty of reasons for fans to get excited.

Filming of 13 different shows concluded in October at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas featuring a mixture of well-known regulars from previous seasons and thirteen players making their Poker After Dark debut.

Ali Nejad, returns to provide commentary and Leeann Tweeden is back for her third season as the show’s host.

Seven of the new shows will follow the traditional Poker After Dark week-long six-handed winner-take-all freezeout format while the remaining six will feature cash games of varying buy-ins that will each air over a two-week period.

Producers say there are first-time winners, matches that end in dramatic fashion, huge swings, plenty of laughs and many other memorable moments.

The season will kick-off Jan. 4 with a Poker After Dark staple: The “Commentators” episode, featuring Nejad and High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan along with newcomer Joe Sebok from Poker2Nite and Kaplan’s new co-host Kara Scott.

The first cash game episodes to air will feature a $50,000 minimum buy-in and players including, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth.

In what could be the first win for an amateur on Poker After Dark a “My Favorite Pro” episode will air including online qualifiers Craig Ivey from Australia, James Ashby from Alabama, Jens Voertmann from Germany, and 2009 Howard Lederer Charity Event winner Steve Bartlett playing alongside Hellmuth and Ferguson.

In a match similar to the “Battle of the Sexes” theme of Season 2, a “He Said, She Said” episode will include Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Matusow, Annie Duke and Karina Jett, making her Poker After Dark debut.

The next cash game show has a $100,000 minimum buy-in and includes some of the biggest cash players in the world. Here Hellmuth will take on Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Laak.

A “Lonesome Shark” show will feature bachelors Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth and there is a “Mixed Martial Arts” show featuring Bruce Buffer, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture and Patrik Antonius.

The third and final cash game has a $150,000 minimum buy-in and includes Dwan, Antonius, David Peat, Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer.

Finally, the season wraps up with a “Charity in Mind” show, highlighting the charity work of players including Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Andy Bloch, Duke, Lederer and Ferguson.

The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge is adding a world-renowned super model and the current world champion of poker to the roster this week.

Both Joanna Krupa, who recently starred in TV’s Dancing with the Stars, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada, will appear on the program, which has quickly become the most-watched poker show in television history over its first two episodes.

Krupa will join MMA star Tito Ortiz as one of the show’s celebrity defenders, which form the first line of defense against contestants.

A Polish-born model and actress, she has appeared in magazine spreads around the globe including FHM, Maxim and Playboy as well as starring in the TV show Superstars this summer.

Meanwhile, Cada will attempt to keep contestants from getting all the way to heads-up against Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

In early November, 21-year-old Cada became the youngest player ever to win the WSOP Main Event, taking home $8.5 million for his efforts.

The contestants will have Negreanu’s assistance through the first two rounds, but will then have to decide if they want to take $25,000 and walk away or risk it all for the chance to win $100,000 and have a shot at $1 million by playing Negreanu in back-to-back heads-up matches.

In the first episode more than four million viewers tuned in to see a priest from North Carolina win $100,000, while millions more tuned in to see an Army National Guard sergeant and a Boston liquor salesman each take home large cash sums last week.

The third episode of the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge will air this Sunday on Fox Sports. Check your local listings for air time.

The writer and director of Shark Out of Water believes his film may be one of the most honest ever made about the game of poker.

"The film shows a glimpse into the lives of two young men struggling to come to terms with their addictions to the game of poker" explained Juan Riedlinger.

"It explores both sides of the game so often misrepresented in film - the bliss and the bleakness. I felt that the demand for a good story about poker was so high in comparison to what's out there, so I wanted to jump on that while I could."

Along with its dark and moody look and feel - thanks in part to it being shot on a state-of-the-art RED digital camera - Shark Out of Water sports cameos from "Yukon" Brad Booth and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Riedinger said getting such a recognizable poker figure as Hellmuth to appear in the short was relatively simple.

"I called him up and told him what we were doing and after reading our script, he was interested in coming on board so we scheduled our entire shoot around him," he said.

The film recieved rave reviews after being screened at film festivals around North America, and Reidlinger believes that part of its appeal comes from the film's ability to capture and relate some of the more subtle aspects of poker while remaining entertaining.

"I'm so sick of seeing straight flushes beat four of a kind in poker movies," he said. "It's such an unrealistic scenario and has no place in a poker film that wants to be taken seriously."

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:59:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-goes-indie-short-45310/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-goes-indie-short-45310/http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-goes-indie-short-45310/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentTwo more take Pokerstars' Million Dollar Challengehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/daniel-negreanu-34004.jpg320

A former NCAA two-sport star and a wine and liquor salesman will take a shot at $1 million this weekend as The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge continues its first season with a new episode Sunday.

The show's debut, which saw a poker-playing-priest win $100,000 and U.S. Army National Guard sergeant walk away with $25,000, drew four million viewers, making it the most successful poker show in television history.

This week, Oluwasegun "Big Mike" Odumuyiwa, a 35-year-old music manager from Northville, Michigan, is hoping to get a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

Odumuyiwa, who played basketball and football at Eastern Illinois University says he will use the money to take care of his late brother's family.

Also taking his shot at the cash will be Brian Barboza, a 31-year-old wine and liquor salesman from Raynham, Massachusetts.

Barboza says he's hoping to win enough money to buy his way into the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.

But to get to the cash, both Barboza and Odumuyiwa will have to first beat one of the show's celebrity defenders, including Super Bowl Champion Jerome Bettis, four-time NBA Champion John Salley, UFC champion Tito Ortiz or Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole.

The contestants will have Daniel Negreanu's help the whole way, but then they will have to decide whether to take $25,000 and walk away or take on Negreanu heads-up for $100,000 and a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

The show will air on FOX Sunday, Nov. 22, immediately following the network's NFL coverage.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:05:46 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/two-more-take-pokerstars-imillion-dollar-challengei-45171/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/two-more-take-pokerstars-imillion-dollar-challengei-45171/http://www.pokerlistings.com/two-more-take-pokerstars-imillion-dollar-challengei-45171/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentMichelle, Ho bust out of The Amazing Racehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/maria-ho-tiffany-michele-34505.jpg320

Poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle defied many critics' expectations, but were finally eliminated in the latest episode of The Amazing Race this week.

The pair lasted a total of seven weeks on the hit CBS reality show and traveled half-way around the globe before running into two obstacles they simply couldn't overcome.

Despite their elimination the pair was upbeat when they talked to PokerListings this week.

"I'm incredibly pleased with how we did," said Ho. "We aren't the most physical people and we were totally out of our element."

"Amazing is the perfect way to describe our experience," said Michelle. "It was the most challenging thing I have done and it was perspective and life changing."

Despite their deep run on the show, the pair might be best remembered for a controversial move in the very first episode. Michelle and Ho decided to inform the teams they were competing against that they were non-profit workers instead of poker players.

The ruse didn't work as they were quickly identified by a poker fan at an airport later in the first episode. Several teams were miffed at the misrepresentation.

Both Michelle and Ho insisted they weren't doing it for sympathy, but were instead trying to hide the fact they were successful poker players.

"We were coming from a strategic point of view and we just wanted to highlight another part of our lives," said Michelle. "It wasn't anything that wasn't truthful."

Tiffany Michelle is headed back to the poker tables.

"Nobody wants to help people that do alright for themselves," added Ho.

Michelle mentioned she does work with the L.A. Youth Network and both have played numerous charity tournaments including Ante Up for Africa.

Ho and Michelle were the only all-female team competing in this season of The Amazing Race and it proved to be a serious challenge.

"It was 10 million times harder than I thought it would be," said Michelle. "Just from a muscle point of view we were at a disadvantage."

No female team has ever won the race.

In their final episode, Michelle and Ho couldn't perform either one of the detour challenges they attempted and were forced to eventually take a 24-hour penalty, thus eliminating them from the show. Both challenges were physical in nature.

"I have no regrets about how we went out," said Ho. "We gave it all we had, but at a certain point you just have to accept there are things you just can't do."

With the show behind them both, Ho and Michelle have plans to return to the poker circuit at the British Columbia Poker Championship in Vancouver and then the WPTDoyle Brunson Five Diamond at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

"I think for the first time we just want to go play poker," said Michelle. "It will be exciting to get back out there and see all the faces."

The mainstream exposure they received on The Amazing Race seems here to stay and Ho appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 this week in a panel on women breaking into the male-dominated world of business.

Meanwhile, Michelle recently launched a clothing line and plans on continuing her acting career by auditioning for roles in both television and film.

One of the NFL's greatest runner backs, a one-time UFC champion and Playboy's 2008 Playmate of the Year will be among the opponents contestants will face on the debut of PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge this week.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis, MMA star Tito Ortiz and Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, will act as the first round of Celebrity Defenders on the Fox Sports show set to air Oct. 11.

Contestants will take on the in the stars in heads-up No Limit Hold'em matches in the first of four rounds with a little help from Canadian Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

The second round will feature a heads-up match against another member of Team PokerStars Pro and in the final two, the would-be students will take on teacher Negreanu with $1 million on the line.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this show," Negreanu said. "I love the concept and I know that it will be packed with great poker and all the bells and whistles, hip graphics and drama that FOX is known for."

Prizes also escalate with each round, starting with a trip to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the first round, $25,000 in the second round, $100k in the first of two matches against Negreanu and $1 million for the final.

Should a celebrity guest prevail in the first round, $5,000 will be donated to the charity of their choice.

Negrenau and the other Team PokerStars Pros will be playing for $10,000 for charity.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:34:58 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/million-dollar-challenge-gains-mma-star-playmate-44322/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/million-dollar-challenge-gains-mma-star-playmate-44322/http://www.pokerlistings.com/million-dollar-challenge-gains-mma-star-playmate-44322/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentIvey, durrrr play largest pot in TV historyhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/tom-dwan-and-phil-ivey-30964.jpg320

Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game wrapped up filming in London this week, in the process breaking the record for the largest pot in televised poker history.

Early highlights included Antonius flopping a set of kings to crack Dwan's pocket aces and drag a $500k pot.

However, the real action began after 20 hours on the felt when all the other players had walked away from the game leaving just Ivey, Antonius and Dwan to play three-handed.

With blinds at $1,000/$2,000 with a $200 ante and more than $2.2 million on the table between the three, Dwan raised.

Ivey re-raised from the small blind and after Antonius folded the big blind, Dwan made the call.

Ivey fired $40k into the Q♣ 5♣ 3♦ flop and Dwan flatted. However, when the 4♥ fell on the turn and Ivey bet again, Dwan raised it up to a whopping $240K.

Ivey tanked, but emerged shoving. Dwan insta-called with 6♥ 7♥ for the nut straight and Ivey's A♣ 2♥ for the smaller straight was drawing dead, leaving Dwan to collect the massive $1.1 million pot.

Dwan also won the previous largest pot in televised poker history during Season 5 of High Stakes Poker when he flopped top pair and a flush draw against Barry Greenstein's pocket aces and turned trips to collect an amazing $919,600.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:33:08 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/ivey-durrrr-play-largest-pot-in-tv-history-44072/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/ivey-durrrr-play-largest-pot-in-tv-history-44072/http://www.pokerlistings.com/ivey-durrrr-play-largest-pot-in-tv-history-44072/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentCBS to air Ante Up For Africa Monte Carlohttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/isabelle-mercier-28423.jpg320

For the next two Saturdays CBS plans to air coverage of the Ante Up For Africa charity tournament from the PokerStars EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo this past April.

Two one-hour shows featuring action from the star-studded event to benefit Darfur are set to air on the US network Today [Sept. 19] at 1:30 p.m. EST and Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. EST, leading into its popular college football coverage.

Modelled on the World Series of Poker's Ante Up For Africa event created by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, the $6,000 buy-in event saw stars from the worlds of television, sports and music take on a host top poker professionals.

In London for the World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair, Mori Eskandani, president of POKER PROductions, producers of the highly successful cash-game show, confirmed the company will begin filming 13 episodes for Season 6 of High Stakes Poker at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Nov. 11.

"High Stakes is always fun," Eskandani told PokerListings. "You mix the money with the emotions and all those characters and it's going to be good TV."

The full line-up is not yet confirmed, although Eskandani said the show is looking for its usual mix of veteran pros, Internet upstarts and whales from other walks of life.

As has become the norm, the game will feature $400/$800 blinds with a $200,000 minimum/$500,000 maximum buy-in, although Eskandani said players can add another $500,000 as soon as they fall below that mark.

The major difference this year is that prop games will not be allowed.

"It really distracted from the game for the viewers," Eskandani explained.

A veteran of High Stakes Poker, Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein said he will definitely be playing, and he's hoping there will be a few well-bankrolled fish in the mix this season.

"I hope they can get a good line-up," Greenstein said. "They always promise there will be good games. I was happy with the line-up I played in last year, but it wasn't as good as the line-ups they had in the earlier days when there were more recreational players.

"At this point I don't play just to be on television. I play if it's a good game where I can make some money."

Online high-stakes superstar Tom "durrrr" Dwan dominated play in Season 5, winning a High Stakes Poker record $919,600 pot flopping top pair and a flush draw against Greenstein's pocket aces, getting the money in and turning trips.

The most talked about hand of the season saw Dwan push 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate of trip deuces and Greenstein off pocket aces with top pair, betting $104,300 into a $133,500 pot.

"It's kind of funny," Greenstein explained. "If I'd have made the call there, and I was on the edge one way or the other, I think the perception would have been very different. It would have been like 'what was he doing?'

"He kind of got lucky that Peter and I got in the way of each other. Because we both folded he's kind of the poker hero and dominated the table. It's funny how things can go like that."

Neither won the WSOP Main Event, nor did they repeat as last woman standing.

Instead, the pair was cast on the 15th season of the award-winning CBS reality show The Amazing Race.

"Poker is something we do, but we don't want our lives to be driven by it," Michelle said. "When we first heard about it, it didn't take us long to say 'Heck yes, we want to do this.' Poker is always going to be around but The Amazing Race doesn't come around quite so often."

In the poker world, Ho and Michelle are famous for being the last female player surviving in poker's biggest event in consecutive years. Ho managed the feat in 2007 while Michelle made it even deeper in 2008.

When they got the call for The Amazing Race this summer, it quickly became apparent they would both have to miss the 2009 Main Event.

The decision was easy, according to Ho.

"I didn't give it a second thought," said Ho. "It was a little different for Tiffany, who was actually defending her title as last woman standing, but I hands-down wanted to be on the show. I'm glad we saw the big picture."

2008 WSOP Main Event last woman standing Tiffany Michelle.

It wasn't the first time that Michelle had been approached to do reality TV, but it was by far the best offer.

"After my run at the Main Event there were a lot of opportunities," said Michelle. "Obviously there are a lot of crummy reality shows, but getting to star in a multiple-Emmy winning show is an amazing opportunity."

As soon as Michelle and Ho received word they would appear on the show, they set about preparing for the journey by watching a number of the previous seasons and going over possible scenarios from a strategic point of view.

In other words, they approached the game as poker players.

"I watched the very first season and I was completely intrigued," said Ho. "It's kind of the purest form of reality show. It's not a popularity contest and you don't get voted off. You compete hard or you go home."

In an ironic twist, Ho and Michelle were cast as the only all-female team for Season 15 of The Amazing Race. No all-female team has ever won the show.

"Once again we were living the whole male-dominated dynamic of the poker world, but we were really excited to take this on together," said Michelle.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the show was the timing. Since filming began in the middle of the WSOP Main Event, both Ho and Michelle were required to be vague when talking to fellow poker players about their plans.

'Compete hard or go home.'

"You understand why they don't want people to ruin the surprise," said Ho. "We see it all the time in poker when everyone knows the result of the Main Event before it's shown on television."

Despite the distraction, Ho managed to put on an impressive poker performance in one of the last events she played this summer. She finished 11th for $41,040 in the prestigious $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em event.

"I was getting a lot of questions," Ho said. "It was hard because I didn't want to lie to anyone when they asked if I was playing the Main Event."

Now that their appearance is public knowledge, both Ho and Michelle say they knew all along there was more on the line then just their individual reputations.

"We really wanted to go out there and represent poker in the best way possible," said Ho. "Sometimes poker is shown in a negative light because of the gambling aspect and we wanted to change that."

Michelle went so far as to say they had something to prove and Ho agreed.

"We're pretty unique in the poker world because it's a male-dominated game and we wanted to prove that we are some kickass girls who are nice, but also really competitive," said Ho.

"We wanted to get away from the whole pretty girls playing poker thing and prove that we are gamers," added Michelle.

'Tiff is a badass chick.'

Although the pair weren't able to disclose any information on the actual Amazing Race experience, it's obvious the bond between them remains tight.

"Tiff is a badass chick," laughed Ho. "I got to see how that translated into the race first hand. She's a competitive person and I love her."

Michelle went on to say that whatever happened on the show they agreed to be very forgiving of each other.

"Our relationship is probably stronger now," added Ho.

With the show completed both girls suddenly have a plethora of new career options, but the siren call of the good old poker game seems to be strong.

"I miss being able to play poker," said Ho. "I'm not going to say that I'll play every tournament, but I obviously love it. I'm going to make my best efforts to play the Aruba Poker Classic and WPT Festa al Lago."

Michelle, having recently re-signed with sponsor Ultimate Bet, was a bit coy about her future prospects.

"At this point I think we have to go for either a presidential campaign or world domination," she joked.

The 15th season of The Amazing Race begins airing on CBS Sept. 27.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:55:50 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/michelle-ho-discuss-ithe-amazing-racei-43991/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/michelle-ho-discuss-ithe-amazing-racei-43991/http://www.pokerlistings.com/michelle-ho-discuss-ithe-amazing-racei-43991/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPokerStars show planned for FOX this fallhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/daniel-negreanu-26431.jpg320

PokerStars is now offering its Canadian and American players the chance to play for $1 million on a new TV show to air on the FOX television network this fall.

The PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge will begin airing on FOX Oct. 11 featuring a group of online qualifiers taking on a series of celebrity players and Team PokerStars Pros in heads-up matches for a seat at a Dec. 21 grand final with $1 million on the line.

PokerStars is hosting twice daily freerolls at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET until November 25 where the top ten finishers will be invited to submit a two-minute audition video explaining why PokerStars should choose them for a part in the show.

Should a contestant be selected they would battle it out on camera against three different celebrity and Team PokerStars Pro challengers in a series of best-of-three No-Limit Hold'em heads-up matches.

Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu will be on hand to coach and assist the contestants until they make it to the third round, where they will actually play Negreanu for a seat in the final.

Filming begins Sept. 30.

After the Oct. 11 premier, subsequent episodes of The PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge will air Oct. 18, Nov. 22, and Dec. 13 with the grand final set for Dec. 27.

All the episodes will air at 4 p.m. ET.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:58:08 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-show-planned-for-fox-this-fall-43489/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-show-planned-for-fox-this-fall-43489/http://www.pokerlistings.com/pokerstars-show-planned-for-fox-this-fall-43489/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPoker heats up in Hollywoodhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jason-alexander-10735.jpg320

Poker's big boom may have been six long years ago, but A-list celebrities, actors, musicians and sports stars continue to flock to the game.

A glimpse of the celebs into the game is available every year at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational and various charity tournaments, but many celebrities also scratch their poker itch at home games and online.

Anthrax lead singer Scott Ian has been playing poker for years and has seen several celebrity friends converted into players first hand.

"Keanu Reeves just recently got into Hold'em," Ian told PokerListings. "A few months back he said to me, 'Hey man, I was playing a lot of poker with this director on my last movie and he was just constantly taking my money."

Ian said Reeves is learning more and more about Hold'em and has become a semi-regular at a private game in Santa Monica.

"I know tons of people who play and when I'm home we all try to get together and play as much as we can," Ian added.

Keeping a weekly slot open for a real-life home game is tough for Hollywood types and rock stars on the road - a predicament that led Ian to move his home game online to Ultimate Bet.

"The first one had Kirk Hammett from Metallica, Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, Slash, Vinnie Paul from Pantera and John Dolmayan from System of a Down," said the Anthrax frontman.

"What it means is just a lot of my friends in bands, these 'rock star' guys, who like to play Hold'em. It is a way for us to get to play together since we don't get to play together physically because of everyone's schedules."

'I know tons of people who play.'

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips has had a semi-regular home game running almost as long as he's been in show business.

Phillips put the skills he learned in that home game to good use this summer finishing 186th out of 6,494 at the WSOP Main Event.

"The home game has been crazy," Phillips told PokerListings. "It's been going on for 20 years."

Over two decades his game has seen a rotating group of actors and entertainers.

"George Clooney used to hang back in the day," Phillips recalled fondly. "Brad Pitt before he got Thelma and Louise, all the 90210 kids."

Like a lot of Hollywood home games the stakes are anything but astronomical, and the level of play is anything but professional.

"No, it's a lot of bullshit is what it is," Phillips laughed. "We're drinking a lot of beer and going, 'My two-three offsuit will kick your kings' ass.' "

Low stakes and a casual yet competitive atmosphere seem to be the norm in celebrity home games.

$500 buy in?

Actor and Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria has a regular game at his Soho, New York, residence where the buy-in is reported to be a modest $500.

Simpsons creator Sam Simon shares a similar attitude, one that he's taking to television this year with Sam's Game on the Playboy Channel.

Juxtaposing his casual home-game style with serious shows like GSN's High Stakes Poker, Simon is recreating the home game experience and expects to tap into viewers' natural love for the format.

While HSP relies on big names and big dollar amounts, Sam's Game uses the same things we all love about home games - Jokes, food, beer and a little bit of poker.

While celebrity home games are mostly about good times, poker's popularity in Hollywood circles could have a real effect on the vitality of the game.

With Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander and Phillips both running deep in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, much was made about what a celebrity at the final table could mean.

Now, with the four month break before the Main Event final table, players are given an even bigger opportunity to take the poker word to the masses.

'My two-three offsuit will kick your kings' ass.'

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack says having a poker pro like Phil Ivey at the final table this year will surely help grow the game, but the exposure someone like Alexander would garner in mainstream media could be staggering.

"I think anytime a big name makes the final table of the Main Event it's good for poker and good for the WSOP," he said. "At the same time, any personality that can crossover in that setting would also be great.

"Phil Ivey will be great, Jason Alexander would have been great and, last year, Tiffany Michelle would have been great. You have a top poker pro, a big Hollywood celebrity and a compelling newcomer.

"All three are different and all three have the capacity to crossover and that's something that's always attractive to have."

Although no specific date or venue has been announced, Tom Dwan has found his first opponent for the live durrrr Million Dollar Challenge in London next month.

London's own Sammy "any two" George has signed up to take on the online phenom, according to event organizers Matchroom Sport.

"With Phil Ivey and Patrick Antonius, you are talking about guys I rate quite highly," George said. "Guys like durrrr to me are normal, you know, they're nothing special.

"I'm stepping up to the plate and putting my money where my mouth is."

While Dwan is highly regarded as one of the best high-stakes online players in the game right now, George has yet to make any major mark on the poker world.

He has become a familiar face on televised poker in the UK after appearing on The Big Game and Poker Million, where he made the semi-final.

His biggest live tournament cash to date was a 21st place finish at the 2009 WPT Championship in Las Vegas this past April for a little over $21k, although George has built a reputation for himself in London's biggest cash games.

You'd better pray Sammy!

Dwan and George will square off over 500 hands in a live heads-up match playing either Pot-Limit Omaha or No-Limit Hold'em up with a $500k buy in. The blinds will be set at $500/$1000 and once the match starts, neither can leave until the 500 hands or up or they go broke.

"Sammy is one of the few players in the game who is willing to walk the walk rather than just talk the talk and although many will see him as underdog in this match, he has plenty of heart and should not be underestimated," said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport.

Dates, a location and three other challengers willing to take on durrrr are expected to be named in the near future.

"I'm buzzing," said George. "What could be sweeter than playing in the world's biggest heads-up match against durrrr?"

The much hyped online durrrr Challenge, with Dwan putting up $1.5 million to any challenger's $500,000, four-tabling heads-up with minimum $200/$400 stakes over 50,000 hands, is still ongoing.

Dwan is is in the midst of taking on his first challenger, Antonius, although progress has been slowed by scheduling conflicts, the 2009 WSOP and the allure of other high-stakes action online.

Now, the tour is after the "Poker Face" singing diva, who will be on the Chinese island August 15 for a concert at The Venetian Macau.

"Imagine the reaction if you showed your poker face at the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival dear Lady Gaga," reads an open letter from the APT to Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, otherwise known as Lady Gaga.

"We have a special Celebrity event featuring Hong Kong and Chinese language stars on Tuesday the 18th which you would be more than welcome to attend."

Gaga's "Poker Face" topped the charts in late-March and early-April this year selling millions worldwide.

Like the Phelps invite, the APT is willing to pick up the entire tab.

"Despite what some poker purists might argue, you have brought the great game to the attention to millions of new people through your worldwide best selling hit," the letter reads.

"Congratulations on your nine MTV Video Award nominations, but do us and the world a favor, come and see us in Macau and show us your poker face! We would be honored."

NBC's prime-time poker-themed game show Face the Ace is set to premier this Saturday night Aug. 1 at 9 p.m. ET with a group of facetheace.com and Full Tilt Poker qualifiers taking on the some of the world's best poker players with $1 million on the line.

Hosted by The Sopranos Steve Schirripa, contestants on the show will first select a pro from behind four smoked-glass doors and then play that pro in a heads-up No-Limit Hold'em match with $40,000 up for grabs.

Should the contestant prevail, they can keep the $40,000 or choose another pro to play for $200,000. Contestants moving on to the third round will play for the $1 million top prize.

If the contestant loses at any point, they walk away with nothing and the winning pro takes $10,000 for their charity of choice.

"Most people don't get to compete against their favorite athletes in sports like football or basketball," said Schirripa.

"This show gives contestants an incomparable opportunity to test their skills against some of the best poker players in the world. The same people they've read about or have watched on TV are the ones they have to defeat for chance at winning life-changing money."

The series will premiere with back-to-back shows Saturday evening and continue its seven-episode run on Saturday afternoons beginning in September.

Poker After Dark host Ali Nejad will act as the tournament director and provide additional commentary.

Plus, Deal or No Deal Briefcase Model Megan Abrigo will serve as the hostess.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:51:13 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbcs-face-the-ace-premiers-saturday-43031/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbcs-face-the-ace-premiers-saturday-43031/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbcs-face-the-ace-premiers-saturday-43031/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentRounders 2 a reality?http://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/matt-damon-32309.jpg320

Both the stars and writers of poker's most enduring film say a sequel is a realistic possibility.

"Everybody would probably come back," Rounders star Matt Damon told PokerListings. "The actors all had a really good time working together. I know Edward would want to do it; we had a blast working together. [Director] John Dahl I'm sure would like to do it. Maybe someday it will happen.

"The only reason to do a movie like that would be if we had a great idea. If the two writers suddenly said eureka! We have a great idea. Then everyone involved would be interested in exploring it."

According to one half of the David Levien and Brian Koppleman writing team, who penned both Rounders and the casino caper flick Oceans 13, that "eureka" moment may not be far off.

"We've been concentrating on Rounders 2 lately; Ideas are percolating," Levien told PokerListings. "It's great to know that all of the original players want to come back and do another one."

Dicaprio Tied to New Online Casino Project

The Hollywood rumor mill recently had Leonardo DiCaprio set to star in a Rounders sequel using a Levien and Koppleman script based on online casinos.

John F. Chan, Rounders hero.

Levien confirmed that project is in the works, but its association to Rounders is circumstantial at best.

"We did just set up a project centering on the world of offshore online casinos with Leonardo attached," Levien said. "It's a little ways down the road, but we've started researching."

"It's a great world. Some of the countries where online casinos are based are like the new version of the Wild West, and with so much money on the line there is lots of drama attached."

The two writers just seem drawn to the world of poker and gambling.

"Vegas, the poker world, the casino environment, and the characters that gravitate around them are endlessly fascinating to us," Levien said.

"We've always been interested in poker players who develop these skills and literally live by them; putting their money on the table and living or dying by how good they are."

Rounders is hands down the most popular and influential poker movie ever made.

It's been quoted, impersonated and dissected at more poker tables and online forums than any other film. Those discussions often center on how the movie was written and why these two writers picked poker as the setting for their first feature film.

"I Just Lost All My Money at an Underground Poker Club. It Was Awesome."

Levien says it was the game itself that that drew them in.

"Brian and I had been working on the rough beginnings of a screenplay idea about two friends, and deciding what to do with one's life, and we weren't sure exactly what world we were going to set it in," he explained.

"Then Brian called me at about three in the morning and said 'I just lost all my money at an underground poker club. It was awesome. We've got to set the movie here.'

Mayfair Club regular.

"The next night we went, and kept going back, playing at clubs all over the city every night for a year. We read all the available important poker books too, and began writing the script during the mornings."

Speculation regarding the various characters in the movie and who they were based on has run rampant since the film's 1998 release.

It has even been claimed the movie was based on actor/comedian Norm MacDonald and although he occasionally played at Mayfair, Levien says Rounders really had nothing to do with him.

However, he did confirm rumors that the "Teddy KGB" character was based on a player known as "Eddie KGB," and that "Joey Knish" was actually based on a rounder named "Joel Bagels," but he squashed all speculation regarding Damon's character "Mike McDermott."

"Brian had just gone to law school at night, but didn't want to practice law, so we got the idea: What if something that seemed conventionally wrong, like poker playing, was really the main character's destiny, and something usually considered proper, like being a lawyer, wasn't the right choice," he said.

For Rounders biggest fans, the most frequently argued question has always regarded what Teddy KGB was holding in the film's final hand.

Unfortunately, Levien and Koppleman still refuse to end that debate.

"That's probably the most asked question in regard to the movie, but it's something we never answer," Levien said.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:00:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/irounders-2i-a-reality-42927/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/irounders-2i-a-reality-42927/http://www.pokerlistings.com/irounders-2i-a-reality-42927/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentDiCaprio to star in new online poker moviehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/leo-split-screen-31679.jpg320

The writers behind the most revered poker movie of all time are heading back into poker territory - and they're bringing along international film icon Leonardo DiCaprio.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has picked up an as-yet-untitled film about the world of Costa Rica-based online casinos from writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the team who penned the now-infamous Matt Damon/Edward Norton vehicle Rounders.

The baby-faced DiCaprio has also reportedly signed on to star in the project, and given his seemingly unstoppable success, it could mean the film will move from pre-production purgatory into actual production rather quickly.

Koppelman and Levien most recently wrote Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, and were responsible for the slick Las Vegas film Ocean's Thirteen - perhaps suggesting a taste for gunfire and heist scenes, which is sure to make the legions of poker fans around the world fist-pump the air with delight.

No release date has been set for the film. DiCaprio will next bless the screen in the new Martin Scorcese film, Shutter Island.

Would you include Playboy Playmates Brande Roderick (2001 Playmate of the year), Deanna Brooks, Stacy Fuson and Andrea Lowell?

Thanks to being the co-creator of the Simpsons, Sam Simon is one ridiculously wealthy man.

And one of the ways he's been known to enjoy his money has been by spreading a legendary home poker game.

Celebs, models, some of the world's raunchiest and funniest comedians and world-class poker players have all been known to frequent the game, and he'll apparently invite anyone who won't get upset after being called a ****ing *****t **** *****r for winning a pot.

In fact, Simon's home game became so legendary (and not necessarily for the poker) that the execs at Playboy TV phoned him up and asked him to film "Sam's Game" for the network.

"The stakes aren't the biggest, the players aren't the best, but the game is definitely the funniest," Simon said.

"I've spent years in development to try to get shows on the air. When a network calls and says, 'We want to shoot this,' the answer is yes."

A look at the action:

The show is filmed in "Hef's exclusive Sky Villa" at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas and premiered last night; look for episode 2 next Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern & Pacific.

Annie Duke was fired from her job on Celebrity Apprentice Sunday night, but at least her charity walked away a winner.

Joan Rivers and Annie Duke went to battle for the final time Sunday, tasked with organizing a VIP party and silent auction fundraiser for their respective charities.

The project leaders had to organize the event, procure donations for the auction and get celebrities to attend. They also had to help promote Kodak as the sponsor of the event.

As she's done all season, Duke clearly out-fundraised Rivers in the final task, raising $465,725 for her charity, Refugees International.

Rivers managed to pull in $150,830 for God's Love We Deliver.

In all, Duke told PokerListings she raised more than $730,000 for Refugees International during Celebrity Apprentice this season.

Looking back, Duke said she is going to take two things away from her experience on the show.

One is the friendships she formed and the reminder of how solid her friends in the poker world are.

"The second is the tremendous amount of awareness and money raised for my charity," Duke said.

But fundraising wasn't the only criteria for winning the final challenge and becoming the latest Celebrity Apprentice. The final task was judged on five criteria, of which Duke won just two.

With Rivers able to claim a win on the final task, the only thing left was for the two women to have their chance in the boardroom to defend themselves and give reasons why they would be the better apprentice.

It appeared Rivers was more convincing.

Duke was confident she had done the better job throughout the season. She'd raised the most money and won both of the tasks where she was project manager before losing in the final.

She said she wasn't surprised when Rivers was hired and she was fired, but there were quite a few stunned TV viewers who were, claiming Trump showed favoritism or that he simply chose the person with the biggest celebrity profile.

Celebrity Apprentice may have been a bad beat for Duke, but she's already well on her way to bouncing back.

She was in Boston Monday hosting a Children's Hospital of Boston fundraiser. Next she'll be jetting back home to California for a little break before the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

During the WSOP, Duke also plans to continue her charitable work with the Third Annual Ante Up for Africa Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament July 2.

"Refugees International is a small charity, and the awareness for the charity from me being on Celebrity Apprentice is huge," Duke said.

"I hope it will also help my efforts with Ante Up for Africa, which Refugees International has partnered with."

Much of the hype surrounding NBC's Celebrity Apprentice this season has been about the bad blood between Joan Rivers and Annie Duke.

Now the two will go head-to-head in the live final Sunday, and if previous episodes are any indication, sparks are going to fly.

Rivers has made no effort to hide her dislike of Duke throughout the season. In fact, she's attacked her on a personal level, equating Duke to Hitler and calling her, and poker players in general, white trash.

Duke said she's keeping that in mind heading into the final boardroom.

"I don't have so much a strategy for the boardroom this time," Duke told PokerListings.com. "I just have things that I'm thinking about ahead of time.

"I'm thinking about what kind of questions Trump will ask and what Joan will say is the reason why she should be the final apprentice instead of me."

Duke said Rivers approaches the boardroom in a much different way than she does, using personal attacks to make her arguments rather than keeping things professional.

"I'm thinking about the attacks she's already laid against me and how I can defend myself against that," Duke said.

Rivers has continued those attacks on Duke in the media leading up to the final.

During an appearance on the Today Show, Rivers called Duke a piece of garbage and said she couldn't be trusted because she plays people like she plays poker. She's also Twittered about her Celebrity Apprentice experience, continuing to trash Duke.

Rivered again.

Meanwhile, Duke has done the rounds, defending herself from Rivers during interviews about the show.

She made an appearance on the TV Guide Channel's TV Water Cooler and is appearing on Access Hollywood today [Friday].

It appears not liking Duke also may be the only argument Rivers has left for the final boardroom.

Duke has raised the most money on the show this season, helping set records for the most cash raised during a fundraising challenge and during a season of the show altogether.

Plus she was on the winning team the majority of the time, leading her team to victory twice.

In contrast, Rivers won only one of the two tasks she led and hasn't raised nearly as much money.

But that doesn't mean Duke was surprised to see her rival in the final two along with her.

Rivers may not have always been the strongest player, but Duke said she always made for good TV.

Good TV or not, Rivers will still have to find a way to defeat Duke in the final task and answer for her past performances when they enter the boardroom again this week.

"The final boardroom is not just about the final task, but overall performance in the game," Duke said. "On merit alone, I think I did the better job."

The final task and the live final boardroom will air in a three-hour episode Sunday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 09 May 2009 02:22:03 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/duke-eyes-icelebrity-apprenticei-prize-40336/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/duke-eyes-icelebrity-apprenticei-prize-40336/http://www.pokerlistings.com/duke-eyes-icelebrity-apprenticei-prize-40336/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity Entertainment'So sick': Antonius stuns Laak on HSPhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-laak-30771.jpg320

It was the kind of soul-reading call that can leave even the most venerable high stakes rounder shaking his head.

And when PokerListings caught up with Phil Laak in Monaco this week to discuss the call Finnish legend Patrik Antonius made against him on GSN's High Stakes Poker, he could only describe it one way.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 03 May 2009 18:46:02 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/antonius-stuns-laak-on-high-stakes-poker-40004/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/antonius-stuns-laak-on-high-stakes-poker-40004/http://www.pokerlistings.com/antonius-stuns-laak-on-high-stakes-poker-40004/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPlay pros for $1 million on NBChttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/face-the-ace-30789.jpg320

NBC and Full Tilt Poker are joining forces to produce a brand new poker game show offering the general public a chance to play top pros for up to $1 million.

Dubbed Face the Ace, the show will give qualifying contestants the opportunity to compete against as many as three different top professional poker players on national television in the U.S.

The first set of winners will be flown to Las Vegas this summer for the taping of seven one-hour shows currently scheduled to begin airing Saturday, August 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Contestants on the show will have to choose between four smoked-glass doors, behind which sit four top poker pros, also known as "The Aces."

The contestant will play the pro chosen in a heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold 'em match. If they win, they will then have the opportunity to take the cash or risk it all battling a different pro for more money.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 01 May 2009 18:24:43 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-goes-poker-game-show-with-iface-the-acei-39829/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-goes-poker-game-show-with-iface-the-acei-39829/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-goes-poker-game-show-with-iface-the-acei-39829/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentDuke puts 'em up on Celebrity Apprenticehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/annie-duke-16125.jpg320

Annie Duke is well-known in poker circles as one of the top women in the game, but she's reaching a whole new audience now as one of the boardroom battlers on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice.

And so far, Duke hasn't been in any danger of Donald Trump having to say "You're fired."

The season is six episodes in and Duke has managed to make a big impression while helping her team win four out of the six challenges.

According to Duke, this isn't by accident.

She understood going in that the hierarchy of the teams were going to be determined by fame, and since she wasn't the most recognizable star in the group, Duke took her game plan straight from the pages of poker strategy.

"It's like all poker strategy," she said. "It's a game, and similar to poker, it's all about the choices you make in that game."

Knowing exactly what they would get from Duke, the show's producers were not surprised.

"Annie was an easy choice since not only is she a star in the poker world, we knew her brilliant gamesmanship would translate well to the boardroom," Executive Producer Eden Gaha told PokerListings.

Will Annie get Trump's gun?

"In some ways that boardroom table is like one big poker table and Annie is very much at home there."

So far, Duke said her most important choice has been between causing conflict on her team or not.

"It wasn't about choosing to cause conflict just because, but if a project is going badly, you have the choice to step in and do something about it or not to," she said.

During the first couple challenges, Duke said she did make the choice to step in when it was beneficial to the task.

"I pissed some people off, but I righted the ship," she said.

Once she had attracted some attention, Duke said her strategy was to lay low for a bit.

"Just like in poker, it's important to change gears, go against image," she said.

Duke said she had another poker strategy in mind as well.

"At this point I knew my team really well, and I didn't want to get shuffled around," Duke said.

"It was similar to being in a poker game and finally getting to know your opponents at the table. The last thing you want to do at that point is move to a new table full of new opponents."

Part of Duke's strategy was also taking the time to size her opponents up, rather than jump right into being a project manager.

Another day at the office.

"I'm very much one of the big personalities on the team," she said. "But you'll notice I haven't been project manager yet."

Just like in a poker game, Duke said you want to avoid making big decisions early and wait until you know your opponents.

"It's important to learn what they're good at in order to maximize your chance of winning the task," she said.

Once someone is project manager, however, the challenge is not to get fired.

Duke said you need to know who really did fail at their assigned task and should be held accountable in the boardroom.

"You really have to pay attention to Donald Trump in the boardroom," she added. "He makes it pretty obvious who he thinks a project manager should bring into the boardroom with them."

For some of the team members, Duke noticed it can be hard to separate personal feelings from the game.

"I learned that poker players really do an amazing thing," Duke said. "We're in a game and we take for granted that everybody is playing the game as well. We don't let what happens in the game become personal, and we don't let personal feelings affect how we play the game."

So what is Dennis Rodman really like?

Her brother, Howard Lederer, can knock her out of a tournament or win a big pot off her, and Duke said they'll still be able to go to dinner later that day.

Duke said she was surprised that people weren't making the separation. A fact she's finding out more about as the show airs and she gets to see the personal interviews that were not shown during filming.

"It's a game, but it's also a business game," Duke said. "You have to maintain some sort of professionalism to succeed."

It is also a game where it pays to have good, reliable friends to count on in the fundraising challenges and Duke found she has that in spades.

"To a man, my friends came through for me," Duke said. "It was an incredible gift for me to know that I can count on my friends in the poker community."

Duke said that is just one reason Celebrity Apprentice is helping show poker players in a different light.

"Poker players aren't the selfish people they're often thought to be," she said. "They're awesome, generous people, and it was amazing for me to get to showcase that on a national platform."

Duke's progress can also be followed on her new website at AnnieDuke.com.

- With files from Martin Derbyshire

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:56:11 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/annie-puts-up-her-dukes-on-celebrity-apprentice-38830/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/annie-puts-up-her-dukes-on-celebrity-apprentice-38830/http://www.pokerlistings.com/annie-puts-up-her-dukes-on-celebrity-apprentice-38830/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity Entertainment'Poker Face' does more than top the chartshttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/lady-gaga-29793.jpg320

Don't be surprised if you see a lot more poker players bluffing with their muffins at the World Series of Poker this year.

Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face," in which the 23-year-old pop starlet lays claim to just that sort of trickery, is now the No. 1 single in the United Kingdom and No. 2 in the United States.

The song features a dog's breakfast of gambling metaphors and sexual innuendo, with Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) going for broke with such lyrics as:

"Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start // And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart."

And, of course,

"I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you // 'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin, I'm not lying I'm just stunning with my love glue-gunning."

The song's insidiously catchy chorus has propelled it to No. 1 on pop charts in such diverse markets as Canada, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland, and features Gaga proclaiming that her would-be lover "Can't read [her], can't read [her], no he can't read [her] poker face."

So is the song an attempt to cash in on the poker craze? Or will it further contribute to poker's mainstream appeal?

"I'd say it won't make any more fish play, but it definitely aids poker in being a bit more mainstream," said poker pro Adam "Roothlus" Levy, one of the few posters on the 2+2 forums to come out in favor of the song.

"With the growing popularity of Lady Gaga, it can only enhance the public's image of poker," he said.

"Is Lady Gaga good for poker?" said poker pro Bryan "The Icon" Micon. "Yes. Anything that gets poker out over the mainstream and makes it look cool and glamorous is definitely good for poker."

As for whether the song will bring more new money to the tables, Micon claims to have firsthand proof of the song's effectiveness as bait.

"Actually, I was sitting here, drunk, outside of [Las Vegas nightclub] Pure last night, and they were blasting 'Poker Face,'" he told PokerListings.com.

"Pure is right next to the poker room, and there were actually people coming out of the club and banging their heads to the song like, 'Ahhh, Poker Face!' and then looking over at the poker room and being like 'Ahhh, poker!' That actually happened."

The video, which features Gaga hitting runner-runner quad aces in a rubber-suited strip poker party, was filmed at the luxury villa on bwin's PokerIsland and features bwin logos prominently throughout.

The winning players from the Clubs and Spades brackets will face each other in the semifinal round, and the Hearts and Diamonds Bracket winners will play each other in the semifinal round.

(With files from Owen Laukkanen)

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:55:32 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/can-chris-ferguson-rise-again-at-nhupc-37686/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/can-chris-ferguson-rise-again-at-nhupc-37686/http://www.pokerlistings.com/can-chris-ferguson-rise-again-at-nhupc-37686/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentGet your Phil of poker in the next NHUPChttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-hellmuth-28919.jpg320

If you want to get the attention of poker fans, it certainly doesn't hurt to have the top Phils of the game headlining your tournament.

The NBC National Heads-Up Championship announced the lineup for the fifth annual competition, with Jerry Yang Brad Garrett Dario Minieri

There will also be a qualifier from Caesars Palace and four online poker qualifiers who will get to face off against the pros.

"We've got a great mix of celebrity participants and top poker pros, including veterans and newcomers, for this year's National Heads-Up Poker Championship," said Jon Miller, NBC Sports executive vice president.

"It's a combustible combination bound to produce the inevitable upsets and compelling action that will excite poker fans everywhere."

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship brings together 64 players in total to compete in a series of heads-up matches. It is a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament format.

The final two players go heads-up for a best-of-three series to determine the winner.

The winner takes home a $500,000 cash prize with second place winning $250,000.

This year the tournament is sponsored by GoDaddy.com and will take place March 6-8 at the Caesars Palace poker Tournament Room in Las Vegas.

The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the tournament Draw Party at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace March 5.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:47:13 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/get-your-phil-of-poker-in-the-next-nhupc-37437/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/get-your-phil-of-poker-in-the-next-nhupc-37437/http://www.pokerlistings.com/get-your-phil-of-poker-in-the-next-nhupc-37437/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentEuropean Open begins next run Fridayhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/nick-slade-5623.jpg320

A week of poker action is about to kick off in London with the start of the PartyPoker European Open V on Friday.

The 72-person field for the event will be star-studded, with some of Europe's best players plunking down $7,000 to take a shot at a $200,000 first-place prize.

The European Open V is a televised tournament that is organized in 12 six-seat heats, with the top point getters from the heats moving on to the semifinals.

There are also two six-seat turbo runner-up heats to get players into the semifinals.

Two seven-seat semifinals will play out, with the top three finishers in each of the semifinals taking their chip stacks to the six-seat final table.

Last year Nick Slade, a pro player from Preston, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom, worked his way up through the European Open structure to land himself in the winner's seat.

The final table last year included Obrestad, Helppi, Ian Frazer, Josh Tyler and Craig Burgess, along with Slade. Slade and Burgess, an Internet sports trader, were considered the outsiders at the final table, according to PartyPoker, but in the end they were left to battle heads-up for the title.

Slade went into heads-up play with a dominating chip lead over Burgess, and he turned that into a win.

Now the battle to find a new champion will begin on Friday, with action lasting until Feb. 13.

The event will be taped for broadcast on Five in the United Kingdom and then later distributed internationally.

Hollywood Poker celebrity model Jennifer Korbin is hitting the big time. The former Hollywood Poker calendar girl is set to star in Fox Reality's Solitary V3.0.

Solitary V3.0 is hailed by some as Fox Reality's most successful original series. The premise is simple: participants take part in a grueling competition, which sees players tested to the brink of psychological and physical collapse.

The redheaded Korbin will give up bathing, sleeping, makeup and even food in order to survive on the show. She will have to rely on sheer will, patience and endurance throughout her stint on Solitary V3.0.

"I think the most beneficial aspect of doing this show is the feeling I came away with when I was done and the things I realized about myself by being forced to be totally alone and overcoming challenges I never thought I could," Korbin said. "That was a really cool benefit."

When not toughing it out on reality shows, the former gymnast from Texas can be seen gracing the pages of the 2009 Hollywood Poker Calendar.

Like several other Hollywood Celebrities, Korbin can be found playing in the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Bounty Tournaments, which happen three days a week on the site. PokerListings players get a special bonus for signing up with Hollywood Poker. You can check it out here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:48:08 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/hollywoodpoker-girl-to-star-in-reality-show-35535/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/hollywoodpoker-girl-to-star-in-reality-show-35535/http://www.pokerlistings.com/hollywoodpoker-girl-to-star-in-reality-show-35535/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentBest Damn Poker Show season debuts Mondayhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-hellmuth-22497.jpg320

There's a second season of Best Damn Poker Show on tap, and poker fans can start watching it on FSN Monday night.

The first episode airs at 9 p.m. across all time zones in the United States, and will run Monday nights. Each broadcast of the seven-episode series will be repeated at 11 p.m. and 12:230 a.m., with additional footage available exclusively online.

Best Damn Poker Show pits Phil Hellmuth against Annie Duke to see which of them makes a better teacher for the game of Texas Hold'em. They have to transform ordinary poker players into champions competing on the world stage.

Much like the first season of the show, online poker players at UltimateBet competed for a spot on the show by creating and submitting an audition video that highlighted why they deserved to be on the poker reality series.

Along with the players who won through audition videos, some of the Best Damn Poker Show contestants won a spot via online qualifiers at UltimateBet. There were also live auditions that took place during the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

The majority of the 24 hopefuls were cherry-picked from the on-camera interviews at the live auditions to join the online qualifiers and the video audition winners.

Now the 24 chosen players can be seen competing for the favor of Duke and Hellmuth, who will be choosing which players to eliminate and which to keep through the series.

Each episode will include player eliminations, with Duke and Hellmuth highlighting the cardplay, analyzing the competition and commenting on the eliminations.

A small preview of this season's highlights comes from the mouth of Hellmuth himself through his blog.

"Expect some real twists and turns this season! Also, expect a few old familiar faces, like Hollywood Dave returning, but this time as a moderator," Hellmuth writes.

"Of course, I do choose a Russian Model (Olya) for 'Team Hellmuth,' but this time not at the expense of a great player - like in season one - just at the expense of a good player!!"

More information about the Best Damn Poker Show can be found at UltimateBet.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:48:28 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/best-damn-poker-show-season-debuts-monday-34569/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/best-damn-poker-show-season-debuts-monday-34569/http://www.pokerlistings.com/best-damn-poker-show-season-debuts-monday-34569/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPamela Anderson to play Aussie Millions?http://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/big-stacks-are-good-18045.jpg320

There's a chance that a certain blonde bombshell will be going Down Under to play in one of the biggest poker tournaments of the year.

Several celebrity gossip sites are reporting that Pamela Anderson will make the trip to Melbourne to get her poker on at the Aussie Millions.

The former Baywatch star has a long history in poker, and even launched her own online poker site at the 2006 WSOP. Pamelapoker.com was a sister site to Doylesroom.com, but was shut down after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed later that year.

Anderson was also briefly married to film producer and poker player Rick Salomon. Anderson mentioned on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that the two began seeing each other after Salomon agreed to pay off some of her poker debt.

This is actually the second year it's been rumored that Anderson will play the Aussie Millions. Last year she dropped out of the tournament for unknown reasons, although celebrities like Michael Vartan (Alias) and Shannon Elizabeth filled the tournament's actor/poker player quota.

The 2009 Aussie Millions main event will take place Jan. 18-24. Last year Russian player Alexander Kostritsyn outlasted 778 players and then won a hard-fought heads-up battle against Team Full Tilt member Erik Seidel to take down the $1.4 million first-place prize.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:31:30 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/pamela-anderson-to-play-aussie-millions-34433/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/pamela-anderson-to-play-aussie-millions-34433/http://www.pokerlistings.com/pamela-anderson-to-play-aussie-millions-34433/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentCelebs to play poker tournament for the blindhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/brad-garrett-10660.jpg320

The tradition of celebrities playing poker tournaments for charity will continue on Jan. 17 with an event to benefit the Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind (TLC), according to a story on Entertainment Tonight Online.

The event will be called "All-In to Win" and will take place at Commerce Casino in California (which is the location of the here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:46:32 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/celebs-to-play-poker-tournament-for-the-blind-34413/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/celebs-to-play-poker-tournament-for-the-blind-34413/http://www.pokerlistings.com/celebs-to-play-poker-tournament-for-the-blind-34413/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPros announced for High Stakes Pokerhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/doyle-brunson-24945.jpg320

High Stakes Poker will be returning to the small screen for another season on GSN, and now we've got a preview of who some of the big names at the felt will be.

The poker show begins filming its fifth season this month at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.

New to the felt this season will be young hotshots such as Tom "durrrr" Dwan and reigning World Champion Peter Eastgate.

Not all of the players in High Stakes Poker are big names on the poker circuit. Instead, some of them are just deep-pocketed recreational players from all sorts of industries. For example, The Simpson creator Sam Simon and film director Nick Cassavetes will be among the celebrity players.

With a minimum of 16 new episodes being shown in 2009 (including four remaining from Season 4), poker fans will have plenty of opportunity to catch some of the most exciting poker ever to be filmed.

Renowned for its unique format and high-profile professional players, Poker After Dark sets the bar higher each year, yet keeps finding a way to put the previous seasons to shame. With six weeks of "winner takes all" sit-and-go tournaments, and seven full weeks of cash games, there will be plenty of action to keep viewers entertained each week.

The Magnificent Six: Featuring six of the biggest names in poker: Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth.
National Pride: Season 5's national pride pits the U.S.A. against Italy. Playing for Team USA: Ferguson, Lederer and Max Pescatori and Dario Minieri.
Celebrities and Mentors: Three celebrities and the players who taught them some tricks. Former MLB pitcher Orel Hershiser sits across from Gavin Smith; the great Jason Alexander uses the pointers received from Barry Greenstein against him, and Don Cheadle battles with onetime tutor Phil Gordon.
International Week: This popular segment is back, featuring "Yukon" Brad Booth from Canada, David Benyamine from France, Alan Cunningham of the United States, John Juanda from Indonesia, John Phan from Vietnam and the WSOP and WSOPE sensation Ivan Demidov from Russia (with love).
Dram Match III: Forty-four-year-old amateur Arnold Thimons from Greensburg, Pa. won the honor of getting to choose five players to play against for a $120,000 first-place prize. His list includes: Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan and Daniel Negreanu.

Cash-Game Matchups

All cash games are $200/$400 blinds with a $100,000 min./$250,000 max. buy-in. Stakes can be raised if all players agree; straddles props and flips are allowed.

Nets vs. Vets: Three online stars face off with three established live poker players. From teh interwebs we have: Taylor "Green Plastic" Caby, Cole "CTS" South and David "Raptor" Benefield. The final three seats are filled with live players: Doyle Brunson, Gabe Kaplan and Eli Elezra.
The Hellmuth Bash: Two full weeks will be devoted to Phil Hellmuth on the table with Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Kenny "Sick Call" Tran and high-stakes recreational player Bob Safai.
Railbird Heaven: Named after the high-stakes Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and David "Viffer" Peat, who will share time with Hansen. With these action junkies together in one place, you can expect some serious action, expensive props and sick flips.
The final two weeks need no name - the players at the table are headline enough: Eli Elezra, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey and Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies.

With all of these incredible matchups, featuring some of the biggest names in poker, Poker After Dark's Season 5 guarantees to deliver some of the best poker action in 2009. Keep your tuner to NBC starting Dec. 29.

Don't have cable? Won't be at home? No PVR? You can watch the episodes online just hours after they air on the NBC Sports webpage: www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/poker.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:13:28 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-season-5-start-getting-excited-33832/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-season-5-start-getting-excited-33832/http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-season-5-start-getting-excited-33832/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentDevilfish DVD out in time for holidayshttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/david-devilfish-ulliott-9950.jpg320

The holiday season is supposed to be all about giving, which doesn't always mesh well with the mind-set of a poker player. However, the Devilfish is giving the gift of himself direct to poker fans TV sets with the release of his How to Become a Poker Millionaire to DVD.

David Ulliott hosted a television show this year called How to Become a Poker Millionaire, which featured him training four losing poker players for more than a month to try to turn them into winning players.

The players went through testing and coaching by Ulliott, and they practiced what they learned by playing online poker. The participants then had to play against each other and were eliminated one per episode of the show.

Playing the right starting cardsCalculating oddsPlaying the right online opponentsDealing with tiltWhen to be aggressiveWhen to foldBankroll management

Ulliott certainly has the credentials to dish out poker advice. In the course of his poker career he's accumulated more than $5 million in tournament winnings. He also has one WSOP bracelet win as well as a World Poker Tour win on his poker resume.

The DVD went up for sale Dec. 1 and can be found at Zavvi, HMV, Amazon and Woolworths.

"With Christmas just around the corner, this is the perfect stocking filler for players of all levels," Ulliott said. "Pop it on when your 'nan and crazy uncle have been at the sherry and prepare to have fun. But remember ... a Devilfish DVD is not just for Christmas!"

Two players are heading directly to the Poker Million VII semifinal round after winning their seats on Ladbrokes Poker recently.

The first seat went to Kevin Allen, who proved his chops by winning the Ladbrokes European Online Championship of Poker IV Masters Event Nov. 22.

He gained entry into the Masters Event after making the top 80 of the LEOCOP IV Leaderboard, and then continued his run of good luck by taking down that event as well.

"I'm over the moon. I won the LEOCOP Pot-Limit event a couple of weeks ago and didn't even realize that this put me in the running for an invitation to the LEOCOP Masters, and ultimately a shot at the Poker Million crown, until my mate pointed it out the next day," Allen said.

"This sort of thing just doesn't happen to me and everything from this moment on is icing on the cake. I'm really excited to think that I'll be playing in a tournament with over a million in the prize pool especially as I always watch the Ladbrokes Poker Million on TV. I can't believe that this time round instead of watching, I'll be in it."

Not only is Allen in it, he's guaranteed at least $20,000 in prize money for being in the semifinal round. The seat in the Poker Million VII is worth $120,000, and if Allen can make it past the semifinal round, he can potentially win a $1 million first-place prize.

In the semifinal round, Allen will go up against Tony G, Roy Brindley, Marty Smyth and Anthony Hardy.

They'll all be just as hungry for the $1 million top prize awaiting the winner of the final round.

"The way GoNuts' luck is running, he could do really well, and before he knows it could find himself in the final, although he'll have to fight his way through a very tough field," Ihre said.

"The line-up is brilliant, and the two final players will bring an unknown element to proceedings that is sure to produce two of the most exciting semis we've ever had!"

Allen will play in his semifinal Dec. 10, and GoNuts will take to the felt Dec. 11. The winners from the semifinals will move on to the Poker Million final table on Dec. 12.

GoNuts isn't the only player from the Chase the Chair promotion who could be in attendance, either. The runners-up in the promotion each won a VIP package to attend the Ladbrokes Poker Million VII party on Dec. 12.

Last night 60 Minutes finally aired a feature it had been promising for months on the Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet cheating scandals. A story in the Washington Post was released the same day, summarizing the details of the scandals, the facts of which are by now old news to those in the online poker community.

The stories, the result of a joint investigation by the two news sources, did not shed any additional light on the cheating scandals, now over a year old. They did, however, manage to set back the already-reeling online poker industry with half-truths, inflammatory language and pointed innuendos.

The stories discussed the cheating scandals in which some insiders at the two online sites gained real-time access to all of the hole cards of live games and used that information to cheat players out of millions of dollars.

This part of the story was accurate, as was the discussion of the part played by the online poker community itself in discovering and investigating the cheating.

The rest of the story, however, cast online poker in a decidedly dangerous and negative light. In 60 Minutes' typical ominous tones of foreboding, online poker was called "shadowy" and "murky," and the fact that the sites themselves are not based in the U.S. was mentioned repeatedly.

The Washington Post similarly tried to stigmatize the online poker world, calling online sites "freewheeling" and comparing them to "modern-day bootleggers." The origins of Absolute Poker were called "sketchy."

Three times the 60 Minutes piece said that online poker is illegal in the United States, something that is a gross oversimplification and plain misstatement of the status of the law on online poker in the country.

The Wire Act has been interpreted by the Department of Justice as making all online gambling illegal, but the only federal U.S. courts to have ruled on the issue have found just the opposite.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting, and the Supreme Court has not ruled on the Act's applicability to online gambling. As far as the UIGEA is concerned, by its very language it does not make any act that is otherwise legal under state, federal or tribal law illegal.

Both 60 Minutes and the Washington Post claim that there is no official regulation, enforcement or supervision of the online gambling sites. Yet, there are a number of regulatory commissions that regulate, license and provide oversight for online gambling sites, such as the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, the U.K.'s Gambling Commission and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

All three of these regulatory commissions utilize the safety and security standards of eCOGRA as part of their regulatory oversight. eCOGRA is "the independent standards authority of the online gaming industry," meaning it is responsible for the examination and accreditation of sites that provide online gambling to make sure they abide by certain rules to protect players and ensure their games are fair.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission and its investigation into the scandals were also discussed last night. Kahnawake was described somewhat condescendingly as a small, inexperienced licensing operation which works out of a nondescript building that used to house a mattress factory.

In the 60 Minutes piece, both the reporter and a reporter from the Washington Post saw fit to repeat the word "nondescript" twice more, in describing the exterior of the building.

Then 60 Minutes discussed how the three-person Gaming Commission met "in secret" and is independent of tribal leaders. It alleged that its investigation had been neither transparent nor aggressive because the owner of the sites, Joe Norton, was a former grand chief of the Kahnawake who helped establish the Gaming Commission.

The fact that the two sites were fined $2 million by the Gaming Commission and were ordered to repay all losses to injured players was quickly dismissed as a "slap on the wrist" by the 60 Minutes report. The story did not mention that the sites are on probation for two years and under strict review by the commission in the aftermath of the scandals.

The 60 Minutes piece ended ominously with the thought that "maybe this is still going on" and the idea that there are people out there "figuring out here's a way we can do this again."

But nowhere in the piece is there a discussion of alternatives to offshore poker sites, such as having the United States government license and regulate online gambling sites and set up oversight and security measures if the government is worried about protecting players.

In response to the 60 Minutes/Washington Post story, Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, issued a statement on how the problems discussed in the story could be addressed by legislation regulating the online gambling industry.

"Now more than ever, Congress should understand why it should step in and regulate the industry to protect the public," the statement provides. "We are hopeful that increased attention in the media about the issue will lead to increased movement in Congress."

Sandman expressly mentioned legislation introduced last year by Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, which "would establish an enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the U.S."

Paul Leggett, Chief Operating Officer of Tokwiro, owners of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, released a statement about the 60 Minutes/Washington Post stories last week, before either aired. He indicated that he had been contacted by them some eight months earlier and had provided detailed answers to approximately 150 questions submitted in his effort to bring all the facts to light.

He said he ultimately decided not to go on camera once it became clear to him that they were not looking for the truth but wanted instead "to produce a sexy story about the 'dark underbelly' of online poker and embellish it with details of the cheating scandal."

His blog continued: "After dealing with 60 Minutes and the WP for many months, everything inside me was screaming they were going to try and crucify us. " Leggett wrote that "after viewing the two video clips on their website yesterday www.cbsnews.com/video/60minutes my worst fears seem to be coming true. By the looks of the first video, it seems that they will paint online poker as an illegal industry with no oversight."

Between the highly charged words chosen for maximum effect - of the shadowy and murky online poker industry operating "outside of U.S. law" - and the omission of details of how the industry is regulated and supervised and how the companies involved were punished, it is difficult to argue that the stories were aiming for fair and balanced.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:34:28 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/tv-show-sensationalizes-online-poker-scandal-33516/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/tv-show-sensationalizes-online-poker-scandal-33516/http://www.pokerlistings.com/tv-show-sensationalizes-online-poker-scandal-33516/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentFinal table set for Premier League IIIhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/premier-league-iii-27003.jpg320

The action over at the Premier League III has been fast and furious for the last two days, but the final table is set at last.

Tom Dwan

Tom Dwan: 26 points ($260,000 chips)

Scary good. That's the way Tom Dwan is usually referred to in the poker world. Perhaps better known as "durrrr," Dwan regularly crushes the highest-stakes poker games in existence, so he won't blink an eye playing at a table where over $500,000 is on the line.

This is the first time Dwan has played in the Premier League, and by all accounts it's been a very successful tournament for the young player. Dwan came up huge in the seventh heat of Premier League III and thus secured himself a spot at the final table (even though he was tied points-wise with Tony G).

Andy Black.

This time around Tony has the chance to put that all behind him and finally secure the title. After an exciting heads-up match against Vicky Coren, Tony G is in prime position to carry that momentum forward into the final table and take down the $300,000 for first place.

Roland De Wolfe

Roland De Wolfe: 23 points ($230,000)

Rolande De Wolfe is the sole Englishman remaining, but will have his work cut out for him if he wants to do his country proud, as he is the short stack heading into the final table.

Last year De Wolfe came as close as you can get to winning it all, finishing second to Andy Black in a heartbreaking heads-up match. De Wolfe has had a mediocre Premier League for the most part, but perhaps the thrilling heads-up victory over Norwegian sensation Annette Obrestad will be enough to wake him up.

The players give it a go today with Heat 9 and Heat 10. Heat 9 will include Helppi, Medic, Hellmuth, Tran, Ulliott and Eastgate. Heat 10 will included Tony G, Coren, Obrestad, De Wolfe, Black and Dwan.

That leaves only a couple more heats to go after today to determine who will be playing in the final. Once all 12 heats have played, the top four players with the most points will move on to the final table. The four after them on the board will play heads-up matches to determine who will get the final two seats at the final table.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:37:22 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/eastgate-gains-speed-at-premier-league-33482/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/eastgate-gains-speed-at-premier-league-33482/http://www.pokerlistings.com/eastgate-gains-speed-at-premier-league-33482/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity Entertainment60 Minutes to air online poker piecehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/player-at-computer-18082.jpg320

It has been months since Nolan Dalla first broke the news for PokerListings that 60 Minutes was working on a piece about online gambling and the Absolute Poker cheating scandal. Now that piece is finally set to air on the program on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, according to CBS.

CBS posted a preview of the 60 Minutes news story this week online with the title "How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters."

According to the preview, 60 Minutes and the Washington Post collaborated on a four-month investigation into the cheating allegations and the online gambling industry to produce the piece which "reveals how online poker players suspecting cheating were forced to successfully ferret out the cheaters themselves."

The incident the news organizations looked into was the cheating scandal at Absolute Poker. The poker site came under the microscope in the latter part of 2007, when allegations surfaced online that someone at the poker site seemed to have an unfair advantage while playing.

The cheating was discovered when a player requested a hand history from a tournament and was somehow given the hand history for everyone during the entire tournament.

When analyzed, the history showed that a certain player had made the correct decision on every hand he played, which would be statistically improbable.

Todd Witteles was one of the online players who played a key detective role in the incident according to 60 Minutes. His suspicions were aroused when he was losing too much money to the same person.

"He was raising, just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy," Witteles says in the 60 Minutes preview video. "It seemed like he was giving his money away. Except the only thing was, he wasn't losing. He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day."

It turns out players' suspicions were correct. A player on the inside at Absolute Poker had breached the security system to be able to see everyone's hole cards while he played. This went on for six weeks.

Initially Absolute Poker said an internal investigation had revealed nothing wrong, but the information surfacing from online players made the poker site take another look.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, where the poker site is licensed and regulated, also launched an investigation into the matter.

The KGC report confirmed in January 2008 what Absolute Poker's own investigation had found, that an employee had breached the security system and played unfairly on the poker site for approximately six weeks. There was no evidence to show that the poker site itself had sanctioned, initiated or benefited from the unfair play.

Absolute Poker was, however, found to have failed to contact the KGC within 24 hours after becoming aware that cheating activities had occurred. The poker site was fined and will be subject to random audits for the next two years.

When Nolan Dalla broke the news about 60 Minutes covering the incident, he said, "In some ways, mass exposure of this creep on 60 Minutes would be absolute justice. A few months spent suffering in Guantanamo would be even more ideal. Trouble is, the casual uninformed viewer of such a segment is not going to differentiate between creeps like him and the millions of honest and decent online poker players worldwide who enjoy playing poker in their own homes.

Nolan Dalla worries online poker will be portrayed in a bad light.

"Indeed, I fear the target is not going to be the creep, or Absolute Poker (which deserves scrutiny) - but rather the entire online poker industry."

Dalla went on to say he's worried the industry in general will be portrayed as a slimy, unregulated, corrupt band of outlaws operating outside the boundaries of the law or justice.

"Never mind that many online sites are publicly traded companies with top-flight managers and personnel, and are strictly regulated within their host countries," he says. "Perception and reality are two completely different things."

It doesn't help that since then, Absolute Poker's sister site UltimateBet has also come under scrutiny for similar cheating allegations.

In the UltimateBet case, the KGC concluded that former WSOP Main Event winner Russell Hamilton, who was formerly a part of the poker site's affiliate program, was the main person responsible for the cheating incidents.

Many people in the poker industry see these incidents as proof that the United States needs to regulate the industry rather than trying to ban it. After the UltimateBet news came out, Alfonse D'Amato, Poker Players Alliance chairman, released a statement condemning the cheating but pointing out the need for better regulation.

"The recent cheating scandals underscore the need for U.S. licensing and regulation of online poker to help protect consumers. While even the most highly regulated industries are susceptible to fraud and abuse, regulation does provide assurances that when consumers are harmed they have recourse," D'Amato said.

"Further, it is abundantly clear that regulation will also address other consumer concerns by successfully providing ways to bar access by children to gambling Web sites and providing the necessary services for problem gamblers."

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:21:05 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/60-minutes-to-air-online-poker-piece-sunday-33457/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/60-minutes-to-air-online-poker-piece-sunday-33457/http://www.pokerlistings.com/60-minutes-to-air-online-poker-piece-sunday-33457/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentEastgate rebounds on Premier League III Day 3http://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/peter-eastgate-26993.jpg320

Two of the players who were nearly shut out on the previous day bounced back in a big way on Day 3 of PartyPoker.com's Premier League III.

The rest of the players at PartyPoker.com's Premier League III are probably wishing J.C. Tran was never invited, as the California pro pulled off another victory yesterday to go a perfect 2-0 in the series.

In just two sessions Tran has accumulated 20 points and looks to be a virtual lock to make it to the final table of Premier League III.

The second day of Premier League action actually started with Heat 3, in which Tom Dwan, Andy Black and the aforementioned Tran.

Surprisingly it was Peter Eastgate who busted first. The reigning World Champion had a very strong Day 1 at the Premier League and took down six points after losing to Tran in heads-up. In Heat 4 Eastgate made a move with 5♦ 2♥ and Dwan busted him with J♣ 9♦.

Dwan didn't stick around much longer than Eastgate, however, as Tran started his incredible run by busting the player known online as durrrr.

Finally the field dwindled until all that remained between Tran and first place was Coren. Tran went into heads-up play with $476,000 to Coren's $124,000.

Coren ended up getting it in good in her final hand with K♦ K♠, but Tran spiked an ace on the flop with his A♥ 6♠ in the hole.

It's shaping up to be a very interesting Premier League with Tran in the lead, Tony G and Helppi right behind him and the two women, Obrestad and Coren, right behind them. Dwan is in sixth place and looking to break through to the top three.

Keeping checking PokerListings.com for daily updates on the PartyPoker.com Premier League III.

Get out the bricks of cash, because High Stakes Poker is returning for another season on GSN.

The popular poker TV program has been rumored to be canceled several times already but, like the players taking part on the show, it just keeps coming back for more.

The fifth season of HSP will be shot Dec. 19-21 at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year the cash game will feature a buy-in of $200,000, which means at least one poker player could be in for a very green Christmas. This marks the first time HSP has returned to the Golden Nugget since its first season.

HSP has been both a commercial and critical success, garnering some of the highest ratings for a show on GSN, and many poker experts consider it the best poker show on TV thanks to its cash-game format with players putting their own money on the line.

In previous seasons players like Sammy Farha called with a flush draw.

The pot was worth $998,800 and the players agreed to run the turn and the river four times. Antonius won three of the four runs to take three-fourths of the pot.

Fans of the show have been waiting for new episodes for quite some time now as the fourth season of HSP finished airing on Dec. 17, 2007.

There was no word on who is confirmed to play in Season 5, or even on whether popular hosts Gabe Kaplan and A.J. Benza would be returning.

The top four point earners from the 12 matches will automatically move on to play the final table on Nov. 30. The next four point earners will battle in heads-up matches for the final two seats at the final table.

All the action will be recorded for a later broadcast on TV in the United Kingdom. Fans can get a full preview of the event in Jesse May's analysis.

This article analyzing the players in the Premier League III by Jesse May was provided by PartyPoker and has been condensed due to space limitations.

Stunned. Elated. Tingles in my hands and toes. These are the feelings that I've been having when contemplating the lineup for Premier League III. All I can say, is this tournament has finally arrived.

This year, the Premier League has not just been infused with serious poker skill; it's been turbo-injected with it, and I think this is the first year where there will be absolutely no way to make the final table without playing poker a cut above the rest.

One of the things that makes the Premier League unique is the element of drama and conflict. The fact that the players are all cooped up in a hotel for eight days, all the big egos, thrown together like on Big Brother, means there is no escape. It's 24/7, what with the prop betting, the bar, the Chinese poker, the fights and the arguments. And every year people crack up.

In that vein, I've made notes on each player in a predicted order of finish. In addition, I've listed what I think will be the two biggest personal dynamics each player will have to deal with. Whether I'm right or wrong, it's no matter. I'm just glad to be able to watch it unfold.

12. Vicky Coren

Kind of lost in the blur between Vicky Coren's results and expectations is the fact that since the time when she won the half million pounds at the London EPT, she is one of the most improved players on the European scene.

She did have ground to make up, and I say that with all due respect. Vicky's a gamer; she has never shied away from the competition, and it just goes to show that the best way to improve your poker is to match up with the best on a regular basis.

Sparks could fly: Vicky vs. Andy Black. Andy made Vicky angry with his comments in the first Premier League that she didn't find out about until it came on TV. They managed to avoid each other for most of the last Premier League, but it's far from over.

Player to beware of: David
Ulliott. The Devilfish has pwned Vicky in the previous two Premier Leagues. He has run her over like a train with his charming chauvinism, if you can call it that. She gives him way too much respect. The fact that she genuinely likes The Devil doesn't help one bit, and if Vicky wants to succeed in this tournament she must take an attitude of no mercy, no quarter when it comes to Ulliott.

This man is out of form. Pound for pound, I believe he has played the best and most consistent poker of anyone from the first two Premier Leagues, but a lot of good it will do him now. Juha has been running bad, and it's starting to affect his mind-set.

He actually believes that he will be unlucky, which is a recipe for disaster. It's a shame because when he is on, he plays this format near perfection.

Sparks could fly: Juha vs. Roland De Wolfe. This one is in the cards. The two have teased each other for years, and as long as one or the other are going well it's all in good fun. No more. De Wolfe will step over the line, and the machine will snap. Believe me, this will get ugly.

Player to beware of: Phil Hellmuth. For two years, Helppi has been playing well and pwning Hellmuth. Hellmuth has bided his time, and believe me - revenge will be served cold.

10. Andy Black

The defending champion can play. He is tight early and aggressive late, and this formula usually gets steady points. However, his Achilles heel is that he can't stay away from a battle of the egos, and there are just too many egos in this lineup for him to succeed.

I'm afraid his heart will get the better of his head.

Sparks could Fly: Black vs. Tony G. Black needs to be table captain, and almost always gets the last word in edgewise, especially against an out-of-form Tony G. Not this year. No matter who Tony G bullies, Black will try to butt in, and this year Tony G is ready for the challenge.

Player to beware of: Andy Black. This never gets old. Black has 11 players to beware of in this game, and they're all named Andy Black. Over the course of seven days, Black will crack up. It's only a question of when and how much it will cost him.

9. Tom Dwan

The buzz around the Internet phenom known as durrrr is a roar. The hype is deafening. Soft-spoken but a maniac at the table, durrrr has everyone excited to see the facets of his game.

However, every time he talks about poker or is talked about, it involves him playing a lot of pots. I am not aware that he has the desire or ability to play the tight gear, and unfortunately here it means a lot of early exits.

Sparks could fly: Dwan vs. Hellmuth. Of course you've watched the video on YouTube. We all have. But even though Dwan beat Hellmuth on the table, Hellmuth slaughtered him in the verbal. And will continue to do so. Tom might be the better player in a cash scenario, but here Phil will dominate him in the play and crush the poor 21-year-old with the abuse.

Player to beware of: Annette Obrestad. This is an interesting matchup - the most aggressive Internet cash player against the most aggressive Internet tournament player. The last time I looked, this was a tournament, and Obrestad will get it over on Dwan all day long.

8. Roland De Wolfe

How the giants have fallen. Two years ago the hottest poker player in the world; now just a formless mass reduced to drinking smelly bottles of wheatgrass to purge his system. On the bright side, De Wolfe is immensely talented and is able to raise his game when playing against a world class.

He plays outside the box and can utilize every gear in the book. He plays so far outside the box, there is no box. If he plays his best poker, he should win.

Right now, though, emotional odds are stacked against him. I think we are more likely to see his demons than his poker. Both make good TV.

Sparks could fly: De Wolfe vs. Nenad Medic. Medic is the person Roland once was and now hopes to become again - the hottest tournament player on the planet. It bothers Roland that someone has taken his mantle, and something Nenad casually said in one of his interviews on the Internet gave me the feeling that he has very little respect for Roland De Wolfe.

Player to beware of: Tom Dwan. De Wolfe likes to be the fanciest player making the fanciest plays, something Dwan pwns here and anywhere else. If De Wolfe tries to outplay Dwan - and you know he will - durrrr will have that extra trick up his sleeve to put egg all over De Wolfe's face.

7. Phil Hellmuth

He is the Premier League. He is Phil Hellmuth. And he got pulverized last year, laughed off the map. I saw Hellmuth just before the WSOPE, and I've been reading his blog and he is in good form.

He seems a happy man. But it's been a long time in Hellmuth years since he won anything major. If he comes in last during this Premier League people will talk. He can slay so many demons by doing well this year.

He needs to just make the final table, but I still don't see it. A little jetlag and Chinese poker distractions, and Phil will be mid table and beat in the heads-up by someone who will taunt him forever. It's part of the drama that is the Poker Brat.

Sparks could fly: Phil vs. Peter Eastgate. Hellmuth loves his records as much as he loves himself. Eastgate is the man who broke Phil's record of 20 years and who may hold it for another 20 himself. I seriously doubt Phil can sleep at night with bother for what Eastgate has done. Eastgate could be the silent assassin in such a way that a mere smirk will make Hellmuth explode, and for real.

Player to beware of: Tony G. Everybody laughed at Tony G for the way he played last year, none louder than Hellmuth. I think Hellmuth will be guilty of underestimating Tony's play this year and could pay the penalty.

6. Nenad Medic

I've never met Medic, but from what I've seen he is quite impressive. Big man, gently humble, quietly confident, and with a string of results in the last two years that could be a career. He's the kind of guy that always travels in a posse, and leads a team many strong.

He appears to have the game to succeed here, but how he will react to the verbal intensity of this group of players remains to be seen. He has a temper, I'm sure of it, and we'll just have to see what happens when he's had enough.

Sparks could fly: Medic vs. Andy Black. This has to break big and ugly. Talk about polar opposites. Medic is the embodiment of the macho man, and Black is Mr. Let's Talk It Out. He eats macho for breakfast. Nenad is a cool dude and a low boiler, but he will only take so much of Black before he's had enough. I'm predicting fists will fly by Day 5.

Player to beware of: Devilfish. I saw both these guys in the big cash game in Vegas during the WSOP. Medic was running hot and Ulliott wasn't. If Medic is guilty of underestimating the Fish, Devil will give him his due.

5. Annette Obrestad

Though some of the hype surrounding Annette_15 has blown over, there is no question in anyone's mind that she is at the top of the poker world to stay. Obrestad is just too good a tournament player, and of all the players in the Premier League, I think this format perfectly suits her strengths.

Though it appears to many that her game is based on naked aggression and little else, she has flair that is so extreme as to be borderline destructive. Look for her to play first position like it's the button and to get paid off like a clock. I'll be very surprised not to see her on the final table.

Sparks could fly: Obrestad vs. Vicky Coren. Obrestad has had a few publicized run-ins with other female players, Isabelle Mercier being a prime example. Obrestad is very confident, arrogant even, and Coren and she have absolutely no chance of getting along. I can't wait for this one.

Player to beware of: J.C. Tran. Against Obrestad you must be prepared to make the big call. Call it a hunch, but I think J.C. Tran will be her kryptonite.

4. Peter Eastgate

I'm proud to boast that I saw this one coming. Peter Eastgate played several times on TV before his run this year in the WSOP, and several times he displayed the raw genius that promised big things to come.

Jealous forum merchants who claim he got hit with the deck at the WSOP this year have obviously been guilty of only watching the ESPN coverage and not going through the hand-by-hand from the blogs.

The heads-up matchup lasted not two hands, as television would have you think, but over a hundred hands, during which Eastgate picked Demidov apart and then demolished him.

He's got $9 million in the bank and this Premier League is his coming-out party. I will be the second-least surprised person to see Eastgate win this. Believe me, that's what he thinks he's here for.

Sparks could fly: Eastgate vs. Tony G. This is like grade school for Tony G. He picks out the guy least likely to defend himself, and paws him like a cat with a dead mouse - just for sport. We'll find out just how much backbone Eastgate has based on when and how he chooses to respond.

Player to beware of: Roland De Wolfe. De Wolfe is the kind of guy who feels a need to put people in their place, poker wise. He wants to prove something to the world, that he can put a play on the WSOP champion. Eastgate had better be ready for De Wolfe with a plan of attack.

3. Tony G

For a man who wears his heart and soul on his sleeve, Tony G has only been a shadow of himself during Premier League seasons I and II. The picture of him from last year's final table said it all. Tony G, head in his hands, sad and embarrassed, after making an amateur mistake in the final three by turning his cards over too soon and costing himself half his stack.

Cheer up, Tony G fans! I can happily report that the man is back, full of confidence, life, and the abusive wit that makes our sides ache. When he is on, he plays his best, and he is on right now.

He played pretty much the best I've ever seen him during the recent UK Open, and even had the audacity to claim in his blog that he didn't play well. Read through the lines. He's so confident that he's underplaying his game.

Sparks could fly: Tony G vs. Devilfish. Ulliott knows just which buttons of Tony's to push. Tony knows how to abuse without getting personal; with the Devilfish, it's always personal. One fat joke too many and they may start pulling hair. Oh, it will get loud.

Player to beware of: Peter Eastgate. Tony will not be ready for Eastgate's game. Of that I am certain.

2. J.C. Tran

You've got to like this guy. If you don't know him, you are in for a treat. He's where the Vietnamese American meets the California surfer dude. His tournament record over the last three years puts every single player in this league to shame.

He is no one-hit wonder, and it is impossible for him to just be a very good player on an unbelievable run. He has so many final tables in big events over the last three years it's just mind-boggling. And now, he has started to more regularly close the deal.

Tran said something in one of his interviews that makes me think he will succeed here. He said that he used to push things too hard and has now learned how to let the game come to him.

I think that's a really good attitude for this league format. There's so many in this field who will do the pushing. Tran might just let this title come to him.

Sparks could fly: Tran vs. Tony G. Tran is friendly and easygoing. Tony G comes on friendly and then hits where it hurts. This is where the rubber meets the road. Tony will be on the guy from day one and there will be no love lost in the corners.

Player to beware of: Juha Helppi. If there is one guy who Tran could easily size up incorrectly, it is Helppi. He looks tight but he is not. Helppi will identify Tran as the guy he can pull a move on, and he is probably right.

1. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott

I should be shot for my faith in the Devilfish, condemned for my insistence that he has the package that makes him the best player in history for this particular format. But the fact remains that the Devilfish does have it all.

When he is on his A game, he has the technical skills to slash everybody in the field. He has the verbal weapons to hammer the psychological edge, and he has the wit and camera presence to own the show. Ulliott has only one knock against him, and that's his habit of slipping into negativity when things start to go wrong.

However, the last five months he has looked the happiest that I've seen in seven years. The last two times he's played this format he turned in his two best performances ever. If he brings that attitude to the table, I honestly believe Devilfish will be the champion when the smoke has cleared.

Sparks could fly: Devilish vs. Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth has always pwned the Devilfish. If this ever changes, then all will not right with the world. The most entertaining of all the rivalries, as sure as death and taxes.

Player to beware of: Annette Obrestad. Devilfish always gets outplayed by strong females, because he shows them no respect. Liz Lieu hammered the Devilfish in Premier League I, and she's not half the player Obrestad is. Look for Annette_15 to make him feel foolish in many pots.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:59:00 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/jesse-mays-premier-league-iii-preview-33300/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/jesse-mays-premier-league-iii-preview-33300/http://www.pokerlistings.com/jesse-mays-premier-league-iii-preview-33300/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPhil Hellmuth to play in Premier League IIIhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-hellmuth-24951.jpg320

The organizers behind PartyPoker's Premier League III have announced their final addition to the roster, and it's a player you just might know.

Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth will be making his third straight appearance in the popular invitation-only U.K. poker series.

The trash-talking Hellmuth has always been one of the most colorful characters on the show. In the very first run of the league, he made it all the way to third place before being ousted by Finnish player Andy Black, Juha Helppi and recent 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate.

Matchroom Sport director of online gaming Eddie Hearn is incredibly pleased with the group of players confirmed for Premier League III.

"The whole reason Matchroom Sport became involved with poker is because we love the game," he said.

"We wanted to deliver a dream dozen for the fans and this is without a doubt the most exciting line up in poker history. The Premier League is an arena where greatness is on display and genius happens - 12 of the game's biggest ever talents will face off for over a million dollars in what will be the greatest poker spectacle of all time."

The aforementioned Eastgate recently broke Hellmuth's record as the youngest World Champion, so the Poker Brat will have a chance to enact revenge upon the young Danish star.

"Only a few weeks back, Peter Eastgate broke my record as 'youngest world champion of poker in history' at the tender age of 22-years-old," said Hellmuth. Talk about being on form, this kid won over $9 million at the WSOP Main Event! I'm looking forward to watching the way this young gun plays his hands in the Premier League."

It's also worth noting that Hellmuth and Dwan have a prior history: the two played each other in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Challenge. Dwan managed a massive suck-out; Hellmuth was obviously frustrated, and started berating Dwan.

Dwan offered Hellmuth a series of heads-up matches for thousands of dollars. Hellmuth, to date, has not taken him up on that offer. The two could very well clash again for the first time at the Premier League.

PartyPoker.com Premier League III sees the buy-in elevated to $75,000 and the added money raised to $350,000, making a total prize pool of $1.25 million.

The next event wasn't due to take place until 2009, but the demands of international broadcasters for coverage of the event have brought it forward. The series features 12 of the world's best players in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages.

The leading four players will then progress to the final table, with the next four battling it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats.

After winning $9 million last week in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, one might think Peter Eastgate would be looking to take a break from poker. Instead, the Dane plans to make a stop in London for the upcoming PartyPoker Premier League III.

Eastgate and Tom "durrrr" Dwan are the latest pro poker players to announce they'll be playing in the Premier League III. durrrr is considered one of the hottest young guns on the poker circuit, and Eastgate may be joining him on that list after winning the Main Event.

Not only did Eastgate earn the second-largest tournament payout in Andy Black, MarketPulse section. In October he played a big part in some record-setting hands, though not always on the winning end of those hands.

Along with his online reputation, Dwan has been building a reputation on the live poker circuit as well. He had two eighth-place finishes in 2008 WSOP events, plus he's been logging in cashes all over the world from the Aussie Millions to World Poker Tour events to PokerStars.com European Poker Tour events.

"I'm really excited about coming to play the Premier League and am honored to be invited," Dwan said. "The line-up is simply world class and I am coming to London determined to win."

A win will mean a pretty good payday for one of the pros. The buy-in for the Premier League III was raised to $75,000, and PartyPoker is also adding in another $350,000 to create a total prize pool of $1.25 million.

Twelve players will be taking their shot at that money. All 12 will play six times in the preliminary stages to earn points. The top four players from the preliminaries will then move on to the final table.

That still leaves two seats open at the final table. The next four players in the leaderboard will battle in heads-up matches to earn a spot at the final table.

The Premier League III is scheduled to take place Nov. 24-30 and already includes players such as Andy Black, Tony G will certainly add some flavor to the PartyPoker-sponsored show.

"I'm looking forward to the Premier League and am determined to take it down," Ulliott said. "Tony G has as much chance of beating me as winning Strictly Come Dancing."

Ulliott is one of the most recognizable faces in poker, especially in the U.K., and has won $5 million in tournament cashes. He's also got a World Series of Poker bracelet win and a World Poker Tour championship title.

Tony G doesn't have quite as much for tournament winnings yet - just under $3 million - but he does have a WPT win of his own as well to add to his clout.

Tony G

"I have been itching to play and finally win the Premier League - it is the event I look forward to the most," Tony G said. "It goes without saying, but I am really, really looking forward to crushing the Devilfish."

Tony G had a disappointing run in the inaugural season of the Premier League, but he came back with a vengeance for the second season and went into the final table as the chip leader.

However, some bad beats left Tony G in third, and Andy Black took the win instead.

The Devilfish has had a tough time at the Premier League tables the last two seasons, not making it to the final table yet.

Some changes have been made to the Premier League for its third season. The buy-in was boosted to $75,000, and an additional $350,000 will be added to the prize pool to bring it up to a total of $1.25 million.

The structure of the event will stay the same, featuring 12 of the world's best poker players in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages.

The top four players will then advance to the final table. The next four players in the ranking after those players will also battle it out in heads-up matches to earn the last two seats at the final table.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:22:14 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/tony-g-devilfish-join-premier-lineup-32752/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/tony-g-devilfish-join-premier-lineup-32752/http://www.pokerlistings.com/tony-g-devilfish-join-premier-lineup-32752/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPremier League begins in Novemberhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/andy-black-25594.jpg320

One of the most elite poker leagues in the world is coming back ahead of schedule.

The Alex Kravchenko, Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott and Roland De Wolfe have all taken part in the league.

One of the most memorable moments of the series came in 2007 when Hellmuth commanded such a big league in the tournament he announced that he would raise the 21 hands of the heat just for fun.

Ulliott responded by saying, "If you keep playing like that they are going to have to put you in a straitjacket and you'll have to push all your chips in with that big head of yours."

Despite holding a large lead, Hellmuth would end up finishing third in the first edition of Premier League Poker, while Finnish player Juha Helppi took first place.

Poker Den: The Big Game III wrapped up last week and the results are in.

A contingent of 21 players put up at least $10,000 each and matched wits for 36 hours in front of the cameras for a show to be televised at a later date.

The game kicked off at 2 p.m. on Sept. 30 and finished up at 9 p.m. the next day. Nobody lasted for the entire duration, but Phil Laak did log a 23-hour session after showing up at 10 p.m. the first night.

In play to juice things up a bit throughout The Big Game III were the "Party Pots," a single hand selected each hour that had $1,000 thrown in by PartyPoker.

Neil Channing took down the first, worth $29,000, holding 6-5 against David Williams' 3-2. Channing would take down more than his fair share of Party Pots over the course of the game, helping him to cash out $6,450 in the black after buying in for a total of $60,000.

Televised poker always has its surprises, and the Poker Den's chief unexpected point came from Bodo Sbrzesny of Germany. Sbrzesny, who played in the game thanks to winning a cash game VIP rake race on PartyPoker, held his own and then some against his better-known competition.

The German newcomer more than doubled his buy-in and took down not one but two pots with 7-2 offsuit, better known as "The Hammer." That feat got the rest of the table to offer $200 each to anyone who won a pot with the Hammer.

When the game was done, two players stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field. The ever-telegenic Robert Williamson III grabbed the biggest net profit of the game's 21 participants, dragging in $63,675 more than his buy-ins. Andrew Feldman's take was only a few drops in the bucket less than Williamson's at $63,350, despite his getting stuck in traffic on his way to the game.

On the other end of the spectrum there was Sammy George. Despite jumping out of the gate and being up as much as $50,000 at one point, George dropped $78,425 - more than anyone else in the game.

Roland De Wolfe wasn't too far behind George, dropping a total of $50,000. He had a good shot at walking with a small profit toward the end of the game when he flopped a set of fives and got his money in on the turn, but Joshua Landis' open-ended straight draw came home on the river to claim the $55,000 pot.

Others who lost their cash in The Big Game III were 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams, William Martin, Alex Roumeltiotis, Joel Nordkist and Ilios Kamatakis.

Poker Den: The Big Game III will be distributed worldwide after it airs on the U.K.'s Five channel next year.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:06:53 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/feldman-rules-poker-den-endurance-test-31661/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/feldman-rules-poker-den-endurance-test-31661/http://www.pokerlistings.com/feldman-rules-poker-den-endurance-test-31661/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentHomam wins Women's World Open IIhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/soroya-homam-25286.jpg320

Last year she narrowly missed the final table of the Women's World Open II when she was taken out in 10th place. This year German poker pro Soraya Homam came back with a vengeance not only to make it to the final table, but to win it all.

"I'm truly delighted to have won," Homam said. "My luggage got lost on the flight over to London, and I was down about that. When it was located and arrived, I felt I had a new lease on life. It sounds strange, but it gave me more confidence and made me feel much more comfortable at the table."

She needed that extra edge too. She's been playing poker for 20 years, both in tournaments and in cash games, but she was up against some skilled female opponents from around the world.

"I have been playing tournaments and cash games for many years now and I see all the debate in the poker world about all women's tournaments. The future is all about us ladies!" Homam said.

Among those who took part were PartyPoker Women's World Open I champion Bev Pace, Jen Mason, Late Night Poker finalist Maria Demetriou, former PartyPoker World Open winner Pippa Flanders and former European Ladies champion Jackie Meecham.

First out from the final table was Kyla Kalmar, wife of Jon Kalmar, a 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event final tablist. Michelle Orpe, a TV presenter and poker pro, went out behind Kalmar in fifth place.

Eliza Burnett, a journalist, picked up fourth place, while May Maceiras, a 28-year-old from Spain, finished in third place.

Initially Macerias was a favorite to win when she started out the final table running over the other players. According to PartyPoker, commentary on her use of position and exploiting the format was very complimentary.

Maceiras has already achieved moderate success, with victories at the Spanish Poker Championships and on the Spanish Poker Tour.

"Poker in Spain is still in its infancy," Maceiras said. "There is still such a long way to go, but I am proud of what I achieved here, and I hope it encourages others to follow in my path."

After Maceiras took her leave from the table, it was down to Stefanie Bergener, also a German pro poker player, against Homam. The balance of power shifted numerous times during heads-up play, but eventually it came down to Homam's A-K suited against Bergener's A-6 offsuit.

The A-K held up for the win, and Homam was $50,000 richer. Bergener received $22,000 for her second-place finish.

"I'm so happy with the result. I have had most of my success online, and this is great," Bergener said. "I promised my son 1% of my winnings to buy him a new BMX bike, so I have no problems there!"

"The international flavor of the PartyPoker.com Women's World Open II final table just goes to show that this tournament is stronger than ever," said Eddie Hearn, head of online gaming at Matchroom Sport. "It is one of the most popular events in the eyes of international broadcasters."

A PartyPoker spokesman also noted that U.K. players dominated the final table in the Women's World Open I last year, while this year was a complete turnaround from that.

"Beverley Pace won last year, but there is no doubt that the ladies from Germany and Spain are now the pacesetters," the PartyPoker spokesman said. "It could also be true that the Spanish poker scene has found itself a Fernando Torres in the form of May Maceiras."

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:27:32 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/homam-wins-womens-world-open-ii-31633/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/homam-wins-womens-world-open-ii-31633/http://www.pokerlistings.com/homam-wins-womens-world-open-ii-31633/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPartyPoker Women's World Open starts Fridayhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/michelle-orpe-19345.jpg320

Women poker players will flock to London on Friday to take part in the second annual PartyPoker Women's World Open.

The Women's World Open features 36 players from around the world competing for a share of a $108,000 prize pool. With female poker players such as Jen Mason, Late Night Poker finalist Maria Demetriou, Xuyen "Bad Girl" Pham, previous World Open winner Pippa Flanders and others, the battle is sure to be a big one.

"The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open was a big hit last year, and we're delighted to see it coming back for its second year. It is one of the most popular events in the eyes of international broadcasters," said Eddie Hearn, head of online gambling at Matchroom Sport, the organizer of the event.

Bev Pace was the winner of the first PartyPoker Women's World Open in 2007, and she will return to defend her title. Pace is the wife of comedian and poker player Norman Pace.

She had to defeat Mason to earn the $50,000 top prize in 2007. The heads-up battle was a roller-coaster of ups and downs as the two traded the chip lead back and forth, but in the end Pace's pocket sixes would hold up against Mason's A-J offsuit for the win.

If Pace wants to duplicate that win, she'll also have to make her way through the former European Ladies champion Jackie Meecham, plus Katharine Hartree, comedienne Lucy Porter, Michelle Orpe, Shelley Rubenstein, Christine Klecz and Stefanie Bergener.

"Last year's champion Bev Pace is hotly tipped to run well again this year," said a PartyPoker spokesman. "Most pundits are also pointing to Jen Mason and Maria Demetriou as ones to watch."

All the women pay $3,000 to enter the tournament, which stretches over four days to come down to a winner on Oct. 6. The tournament has the same format as the PartyPoker World Open, with the only differences being the field size and the all-female playing field.

Women-only tournaments have been a hotly debated topic in the poker world. Some female pros are against the all-women tournaments because poker is one sport where sex-specific physiology doesn't make a difference in how well a person plays. There are many who think the all-female tourneys help bring more women to the game, though.

"Women's tournaments are good for getting more ladies interested in poker," Pace said after her 2007 win. "The standard is no different to a mixed-sex game, but they do encourage some to come forward who wouldn't do otherwise."

Poker fans in the United Kingdom will get to check out the all-women poker playing next year when the Women's Poker Open II airs on Five. It will then be distributed internationally as well.

On Tuesday, PartyPoker once again kicked off its television show the Poker Den. Titled "The Big Game III," the game will run for a record-breaking 36 hours.

Play got started at 2:30 p.m. BST on Tuesday with Roland De Wolfe, David Williams, Sammy George, Chris Parke, Neil Channing, Jennifer Tilly, Robert Williamson II and Iliodoros Kamatakis at the felt. As the game rolls on, other top pros will partake in cash-game marathons as well.

Each player will buy in for a minimum of $10,000, with blinds starting at $25/$50. The players are free to leave the game any time they want, and then other players will step in to join the game.

"We've been told that Phil Laak has spent all weekend mentally preparing for the game and that he intends to try and make TV history and sit in the game for a record breaking 36 hour stint!" said a PartyPoker spokesperson.

"The Poker Den has a history of wild and entertaining action and even though we state that a player can leave the table at any time we may make them take a break if they are [sitting] there like rocks or crushing the game too much. We want entertainment and not a heads-up between two exhausted grinding machine professionals who nobody wants to play against! That said, it is crazy how [many] players are rumored to be considering this, we'll see how it goes!"

Bodo Sbrzesny will also join the action as the PartyPoker VIP qualifier. The German won a high-stakes rake race on the poker site to earn a place at the Poker Den table.

Along with the change from a 24-hour-long game to 36 hours this time around, PartyPoker and Matchroom Sport have also introduced the "Party Pot." Players will win a $1,000 bonus from a selected hand every hour.

With the game well under way already, there has been plenty of action at the Poker Den table. According to a PartyPoker spokesperson, the first Party Pot resulted in a pot of more than $29,000 after the bonus $1,000 was added. Plus there has been other big action at the table.

"It only took four hands for there to be the first five-figure pot," said a PartyPoker spokesperson. "David Williams has already had to reload for another $20,000, and we're only scratching the surface of what's to come in the next 36 hours."

The PartyPoker Poker Den is being filmed to air on Five in the United Kingdom early next year, and then it will be distributed worldwide.

The World Poker Tour and FSN are teaming up for another project with the launch ClubWPT.com. The new series will debut on Sunday at 4 p.m. local time with an 11 p.m. encore.

ClubWPT.com will be another first for poker programming as it features six amateur players from around the United States and Canada competing each week for their shot at cash prizes and poker stardom.

Unlike the regular WPT tournaments that get televised, these players won't be putting up a $10,000 buy-in to get into the events. Instead they'll earn their seat in the show by playing in specially designated online tournaments.

The TV-seat tournaments will run six nights per week online, giving players plenty of opportunity to win their way into the television show.

"Poker is the only sport that allows the everyday Joe to go up against the professionals and win life-changing money and celebrity status," said Steve Lipscomb, WPT founder, president and CEO.

"And we all want to be in that seat, but most of us don't have the opportunity to invest the time or money to be a pro and play in big casino games. ClubWPT.com gives you the opportunity - six nights a week, in your own home - to win a seat on national television and the chance to live the dream."

Qualifiers for the show will receive roundtrip airfare to Los Angeles where they will have a two-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel plus spending money and loads of VIP amenities while they make their appearance for the show.

The series will be filmed in high definition with FSN sportscaster Barry Tomkins and "Live at the Bike" announcer Bart Hansen providing commentary and strategy. Alison Waite will host the show.

"The World Poker Tour, the most respected brand name in poker, has long been the leader in poker innovation and they continue that trend with this series," said George Greenberg, FSN executive vice president programming and production.

"ClubWPT.com is the premier place offering amateur poker players the opportunity to experience the status and cachet usually reserved for the biggest names in poker."

FSN will also be the new home for the seventh season of the World Poker Tour. Episodes from the season will debut later this year in the Sunday Night Sports Block.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:47:29 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/wpt-fsn-launch-new-show-31257/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/wpt-fsn-launch-new-show-31257/http://www.pokerlistings.com/wpt-fsn-launch-new-show-31257/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentGSN pairs shows for Poker NightGSN has a new lineup for Sunday nights that will be a poker fan pleaser. The network will pair High Stakes Poker and episodes of the World Poker Tour for back-to-back poker action starting Sunday, Sept. 28.

The evening begins with High Stakes Poker at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the World Poker Tour at 9 p.m.

"We think poker on Sunday night is a great way for viewers to end their weekend and begin their week," said Kevin Belinkoff, vice president of original programming and development at GSN. "With High Stakes Poker and World Poker Tour, we're proud to have the best poker in the world and we're looking forward to establishing Sunday night on GSN as the home of poker on television."

High Stakes Poker was unique when it first aired because it was the first poker show that wasn't in a tournament setting. Instead, the players sat down for a ring game with a minimum $100,000 buy-in.

It didn't take long to see someone buy in with much more than the minimum. In Season 1, Daniel Negreanu brought $1 million to the table, and Brad Booth did the same thing in Season 3.

In the fourth season, High Stakes Poker upped the level for all the players. For part of the season, there was a minimum $500,000 buy-in.

Season 5 of the show is expected to start airing in 2009. One change made for the fifth season is that the program will show every hand played, as opposed to the 60-70% shown in the past.

The World Poker Tour is another place to find some of the world's best poker players. The WPT films the final table of its events, and often there is a pro at the table, or the winner of the event becomes a star in the poker world.

Through the life of the WPT so far, it has awarded more than $300 million in cash prizes and crowned more than 80 WPT Poker-Made Millionaires. Some of the big names who've taken down WPT events include Negreanu, Carlos Mortensen, Michael Mizrachi, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiaria and more.

Tune in Sunday on GSN for action from both shows to get your poker fix for the weekend.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:33:14 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/gsn-pairs-shows-for-poker-night-30994/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/gsn-pairs-shows-for-poker-night-30994/http://www.pokerlistings.com/gsn-pairs-shows-for-poker-night-30994/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentBest Damn Poker Show to air in Novemberhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-hellmuth-23631.jpg320

UltimateBet announced last week that the second season of Best Damn Poker Show will begin airing on FSN Oct. 27.

The show has begun filming already with a PokerListings regular, Tony "TheTonz" Wind, as one of the participants. Wind announced that he'd been chosen in the PokerListings forum.

He is one of 18 poker players taking part in the Best Damn Poker Show battling to be the last player standing. During the show Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke will take players under their tutelage to try to prove which one is the better teacher, while the players try to prove they're the better player.

The players were chosen for the show through a contest hosted by UltimateBet. The players competed for a spot by creating and submitting an audition video that highlighted why they deserve to be on the poker reality series.

The videos went up on YouTube where poker fans could take a peek and see who the potential participants would be for the second season of the Best Damn Poker Show.

UltimateBet also hosted some online qualifiers which paid out spots on the show.

For the second season, UltimateBet shook things up a bit by also hosting a live audition in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker. It gave producers the opportunity to check out thousands of talented Texas Hold'em fans who were in town for the tournaments.

Now the players will battle it out while Hellmuth and Duke also clash on who is the better instructor. In the end, only one player can remain standing, and only one tutor will triumph.

If history repeats itself, the show's winner could end up with more than just a few moments of fame on TV as well. On Aug. 15, UltimateBet signed Tracy Scala, the winner of the first season of the Best Damn Poker Show tournament.

For more information about the show or to get in on some online poker action, visit .

The PartyPoker Nations Cup will make its television debut for this season on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom next week. However, poker fans looking for a little taste of the action ahead of time can check out a sneak preview on YouTube.

There are four different matchups featured on YouTube with players from several of the nations represented in the tournament. The videos are:

The Dutch team was captained by none other than Marcel Luske and featured Thierry Van der Berg, Eric Van der Berg, Hans Ritburg and Daan Ruiter, with Quirihn Van der Peet the lucky online qualifier.

Coverage of the show begins airing at midnight Sept. 16/Sept. 17 in the United Kingdom. It was produced for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and is presented by Vicky Coren.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:37:34 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/partypoker-offers-poker-nations-cup-preview-30327/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/partypoker-offers-poker-nations-cup-preview-30327/http://www.pokerlistings.com/partypoker-offers-poker-nations-cup-preview-30327/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentTheTonz's video leads to poker show spothttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-hellmuth-21474.jpg320

When you've got a recipe for success in television, the golden rule is repeat, repeat, repeat. It's a rule not lost on Tony Wind.

"TheTonz," as his screen name goes on UltimateBet poker, will join regulars from Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period when they film Season 2 of the Best Damn Poker Show later this month in California.

Wind won his way onto the show by creating a video titled "The Neverland Ranch Poker Invitational." You can see it here.

It's an idea similar to the one employed by Keith Woernle, who won his way on to the first season of the Best Damn Poker Show with a video filled with shoddy impersonations of famous poker pros such as Scotty Nguyen and Eli Elezra. You can see that video here.

The only ingredients Wind needed were a couple of old Halloween costumes, a dollop of imagination and some free time.

"With the exception of Macaulay Culkin, those were my last Halloween costumes," says Wind. "I figured why not go ahead and put them to use?"

Pretty good use all right. It's safe to say hanging out with Phil Hellmuth, John Salley, Chris Rose and Annie Duke on an all-expenses-paid trip to California is going to be a coveted way for a college kid living in Wisconsin to spend a week.

But what do the professors at his college think about him missing a week of classes to start his senior year?

"They've been really good about it and don't seem to mind at all," says Wind.

Hey, if you can help pay their salaries because of it, why would they mind?

"It's not a bad way to pay for school. I am not paying off school by any means yet, but poker is pretty much my part-time job."

The Best Damn Poker Show's format is unique in that winners are determined by how pro judges Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth rate their play. Last season saw guys like Keith and Tony mixed in with celebrity and pro players such as Hollywood Dave, Sully Erna of Godsmack, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Jennifer Tilly, Patrick Warburton and Serinda Swan.

Wind says he's been playing poker "absolutely as long as he can remember" in family games and still plays plenty at the local casino, as well as online at UltimateBet.

He started taking it a little more seriously about five years ago and says WSOP Main Event winner Dan Harrington's book Harrington on Hold 'em was a big help to his game.

Still, Wind refers to himself as a pretty small-time guy, mostly playing $20/$30 sit-and-gos. But he did pay off his fiancée's wedding ring in just two months with the money he's won playing poker. And you never know what can happen from a trip to TV land.

"There's already some pretty cool things happening. I've never done interviews with big poker sites before. If I win I can get a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event and at the Aruba Classic. Big things could come out of that. Another thing is possible sponsorship."

Last season's winner Woernle, who claims that in order to make a really good audition video, "You must 1) be an idiot 2) have a lot of free time," is now sponsored by UltimateBet.

He won $3k in the first tournament that he played in after the show, and played in this year's L.A. Poker Classic. He's now also nobbing with the hobs at private parties such as Phil Hellmuth's Christmas party.

"Believe me … the average online players are probably exactly like me. I mean, not exactly like me, I'm probably taller and hairier, but you get the idea. The fact is that anyone can achieve the same thrills that I have thus far," Woernle said.

"I wasn't playing in the Big Game when I went on this show; I was playing low-limit like many other online players. I never would have thought I'd be playing in $1,000 tournaments. But here we are."

As for why Wind chose to dis on Jacko and the Neverland Ranch in his audition video, he says he wasn't dissing him at all.

"Hey, imitation is the best form of flattery, right?"

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:42 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/thetonzs-video-leads-to-poker-show-spot-30273/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/thetonzs-video-leads-to-poker-show-spot-30273/http://www.pokerlistings.com/thetonzs-video-leads-to-poker-show-spot-30273/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentMain Event to begin airing on ESPNIf you've lost that World Series of Poker feeling, it's time to start picking it back up again tonight when ESPN begins airing footage from the 2008 Main Event.

The network has been airing the 2008 Bobby Baldwin, David Ulliott, Eric Froehlich and more.

Comedian and actor Ray Romano and actor Mekhi Phifer both played in Day 1a as well.

Main Event coverage will continue on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET until Sept. 30. Then it will continue on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Oct. 7-28.

On Nov. 4, ESPN will air a Main Event final-table preview show at 9 p.m., and then the final table will air Nov. 11 at 9 p.m.

Poker fans can find all of our live coverage from the Main Event in the 2008 WSOP Live Tournaments section, and we'll return to the Rio as well to provide live coverage of the Main Event final table in November.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:42:44 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/main-event-to-begin-airing-on-espn-30214/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/main-event-to-begin-airing-on-espn-30214/http://www.pokerlistings.com/main-event-to-begin-airing-on-espn-30214/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentFTP Announces Million Dollar Cash Game lineuphttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/phil-ivey-18916.jpg320

The past two seasons of Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game have had some of the most watched and discussed televised pots of all time. This year hopes to be no exception.

This year's lineup features players every bit as talented, but with some of the action-crazed online players replacing some of the very solid old school live players, the potential action is off the charts.

The filming takes place on the 17th and 18th of September in central London, with the episodes going to air in January of 2009 on Sky Sports.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:51:04 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/ftp-announces-million-dollar-cash-game-lineup-30171/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/ftp-announces-million-dollar-cash-game-lineup-30171/http://www.pokerlistings.com/ftp-announces-million-dollar-cash-game-lineup-30171/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPoker After Dark finds a new homehttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/leeann-tweeden-the-host-17736.jpg320

The 2009 season of NBC's top poker show will change its filming location from the South Point Casino to the illustrious Golden Nugget.

The Golden Nugget, the longest running Vegas Hotel to maintain its AAA's Four Diamond status, has signed a deal to have the first 60 episodes of Poker After Dark filmed inside its newest events center "The Grand". This is not the first serious poker production to use this location, as Brett Kellerman, The Golden Nuggets chief operating officer, pointed out in his statement:

"The Golden Nugget is thrilled to host the fifth season of NBC's exciting, late-night poker program, Poker After Dark. The Golden Nugget has been home to several big poker productions, as well as hosted many poker tournaments and events, so bringing a top-rated program like Poker After Dark to the property just seemed like a natural fit."

If you would like to win yourself a seat in the next season of PAD, log-in to Full Tilt and play one of the many Poker After Dark satellites or freerolls.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:08:31 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-finds-a-new-home-29990/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-finds-a-new-home-29990/http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-finds-a-new-home-29990/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentI'm all-in!: High Stakes Poker to return on GSNhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/gabe-kaplan-17640.jpg320

Maybe poker on TV isn't dead. Just this week Fox Sports announced it had picked up the World Poker Tour, and now there are reports GSN has renewed High Stakes Poker for another season.

Although many of the details for the upcoming season have yet to be revealed, GSN director of public relations Jennifer Minezaki has confirmed that GSN has picked up the option on the fifth season of the popular poker program, which is hosted by Jerry Yang, Tuan Lam and that it would take place at the Wynn Las Vegas. Minezak has since shot down those rumors, saying many of them are inaccurate.

High Stakes Poker changed the concept of what a poker show could be when it launched in January 2006. Skipping the usual tournament style, the show introduced casual poker fans to cash-game poker, with names like Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth all putting a piece of their bankrolls on the line.

The last season of High Stakes Poker was particularly memorable, as it featured the addition of a $500,000 buy-in for several episodes (the normal buy-in is $100,000). One hand saw Patrik Antonius clash with Jamie Gold over a pot containing $700,000.

There was no word as to when the next season of High Stakes Poker will air.

Real Dice announced this week that it has launched Multiplayer Championship Poker for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

"The expansion of Multiplayer Championship Poker to the iTunes store now allows iPhone and iPod Touch customers to pull up a virtual chair and play Texas Hold'em with the 300,000 users who are already online on a variety of other devices," said Russ McMahon, Real Dice director of mobile development.

"We've developed the game so players from every supported system can play live games together no matter which handset they have. This means that you can log in with your iPhone while you're sitting at the airport and play with your Blackberry-loving best friend or take on a complete stranger who's logged in through Facebook on the web."

The game gives Apple users the ability to connect with thousands of players from around the world at any time.

Multiplayer Championship Poker also has an offline option to play along, practice and build poker skills against unique artificial intelligence opponents. There is also a comprehensive strategy guide for all levels, as well as free desktop and Facebook versions.

According to a press release from Real Dice, the game has received widespread acclaim from gaming and poker enthusiasts alike and was hailed as "Game of the Year" by Smartphone magazine in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Multiplayer Championship Poker is now available for download in the iTunes store for $9.99. It is also available for BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile or Symbian for varying prices.

Apparently the box office debacle that was Deal will not deter its director from taking another shot at bringing the poker world to the big screen.

According to a story in Variety, Gill Cates Jr. will direct a documentary titled Pass the Sugar, which will focus on the nine final-table contestants of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, including eventual winner Joe Hachem. Poker fans will remember that Hachem was short-stacked for much of the final table before eventually overcoming Steve Dannenmann in heads-up play.

Cates has directed six motion pictures including $pent, The Mesmerist and A Midsummer Night's Rave although he also works as an actor and producer. Most recently Cates directed Deal, which starred Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Shannon Elizabeth. The plot featured an ex-gambler teaching a college kid how to play poker. The film was poorly received both critically and commercially.

For Pass the Sugar Cates has once again teamed up with producer Caitlin Murray. The pair previously worked on The Chaos Theory, a thriller which is currently in postproduction. Also on the producing team for the poker documentary is Joe Hachem's brother Tony Hachem.

Jennifer Tilly and Jose Canseco's names have also been mentioned with regard to the documentary and will likely be featured in interviews.

Cates seems to have an association with the world of gambling and poker, as the movie $pent followed a chronic gambler.

Well, not quite, but if the Venetian has anything to say about it, these poker stars and a few others might just be part of the next big thing in the Las Vegas show scene.

"The Real Deal!" is the first-ever interactive poker-themed stage show to appear in Vegas. Organizers are calling the show, which is set to debut this fall, a "new paradigm in entertainment."

Whatever that means, it sounds like the show should be pretty cool.

Using wireless handheld technology and audience participation, "The Real Deal!" is part theatre, part stand-up comedy and part game show. It will provide the audience the opportunity to play with and against some of the best poker players in the game for cash and prizes.

"The Venetian sets the standard for entertainment in Las Vegas and we are excited to add 'The Real Deal!' to our existing line-up of world-class shows," says Jason Gastwirth, vice president of entertainment for Las Vegas Sands Corp, the company which owns the Venetian.

"When looking for a new concept to add to our entertainment line-up, we searched for an entirely new experience that would promote audience participation while incorporating well-known personalities that shine beyond the bright lights of the Strip - we found that in 'The Real Deal!'"

The concept allows audience members to earn points to vie for prizes ranging from show merchandise to home electronics to a $1 million grand prize. These prizes are awarded to audience members based on their game performance using the handheld devices.

There are also random winning moments for everybody throughout the show. For example, audience members will be able to wager on simple instances that occur during play on stage. This includes such things as the suit of cards dealt on the flop.

"Never before has poker been so integrated with entertainment," said Merv Adelson, the creator of the show, cofounder of Lorimar Telepictures and former vice chairman of Time Warner Inc.

"The popularity of poker is unquestioned, as is the viability of live game show experiences in Las Vegas. 'The Real Deal!' will keep guests laughing and give them the unique chance to get into the heads of the world's best pros as they share tips and strategy throughout the fast-paced game. We know it will quickly become a hot ticket."

An elimination process will result in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur and the point leader from the play-along audience ending up on stage for a three-handed finale.

"Poker fans have been able to view and enjoy professional poker action for years on television," said Doyle Brunson. "This is different. Everyone in the audience can be in the game and compete with the pros and other guests. It is a one-of-a-kind-poker experience."

The production runs six days a week at The Venetian Showroom, with shows at 4 p.m. and prime-time performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A limited number of VIP packages are available for each performance that include the opportunity to meet the pros after the show.

NBC's Poker After Dark is set to return for a fourth season starting on Monday. This time, however, the show will feature high-stakes cash games rather than the familiar deep-stacked, six-handed freezeouts.

The new format should make for some jaw-dropping pots, with $200/$400 blinds and a minimum buy-in of $100k and a maximum of $250k.

Dwan and Hellmuth met recently in another NBC telecast tournament, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired in February 2008. The two aggressive poker behemoths quickly wowed all with the shortest match in National Heads-up Poker Championship history.

After several raises and re-raises Dwan went all-in holding pocket tens in just the third hand. The Poker Brat called with a dominating pair of bullets, but lost when Dwan hit his set on the turn. You can bet Hellmuth hasn't forgotten.

The two got into a heated war of words that had Hellmuth repeatedly referring to Dwan as "son" and Dwan repeatedly issuing a cash-game heads-up challenge to one of the winningest players in history.

"Son, I would tell you this much, son," said a riled Hellmuth after the match. "I would never have put more than $3k in the pot with two tens before the flop."

"I was gonna' say good game, sorry for the suck out, but when you phrase it that way it makes me not wanna," retaliated durrrr. "Phil, that's why you lose money online … pick your stakes heads-up. We can play right now if you want."

"You admit it was a terrible play then?" asked Hellmuth after several more insults.

The players then continued to jaw on camera for several more minutes, seemingly much to the delight of the host and organizers.

Although Laliberté and Baxter are recreational players and likely not in the same class as Dwan and Hellmuth, it's poker, and neither is a stranger to high stakes. Both have played in televised cash games before, earning fan admiration and player respect with their skilled play. Both will be in deep at this televised table, however.

Joining Hellmuth from one of poker's most exclusive clubs is Cunningham. Both have lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of eight figures ($10 million). Only three other players share that distinction.

As is customary on Poker After Dark, players' hole cards will be shown to the viewing audience, even if they are mucked pre-flop.

Not so customary is smokin' hot Leeann Tweeden, who makes her debut as the program's new host. Tweeden's career highlights include being a Playboy lingerie model, an FHM cover girl, a longtime correspondent on the The Best Damn Sports Show Period and the honor of being named among the top Hooters Girls of all time. You see what staying in school gets you, kiddies?

Airing at 2:05 a.m. on Monday, July 14, Poker After Dark continues for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. The "Director's Cut" airs Saturday, July 19, at 1:00 a.m. following Saturday Night Live. This show features Tweeden's behind-the-scenes look at the week, with player interviews and highlights of key hands.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:08:58 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/format-switch-raises-stakes-on-nbc-poker-show-28946/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/format-switch-raises-stakes-on-nbc-poker-show-28946/http://www.pokerlistings.com/format-switch-raises-stakes-on-nbc-poker-show-28946/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentPremier League final table to begin airinghttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/andy-black-14249.jpg320

Channel 4 will begin airing footage of the PartyPoker Premier League final table next week. The network just wrapped up airing the final two heads-up matches to determine the last two players at the final table and will now start two weeks of the final-table coverage.

The first episode will air Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (June 24/25) at 12:05 a.m. on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The coverage will conclude with the winner on July 1.

Andy Black, Alexander Kravchenko and Marcel Luske automatically made the final for finishing in the first four spots of the Premier League. Roland De Wolfe and Annie Duke had to win their way through heads-up matches that were shown on Channel 4 last night.

The players' points from the league play also determine how many chips they'll take into the final table. One point is equivalent to $10,000 in chips. Tony G finished at the top of the league with 38 points, so he'll enter the final table with $380,000 in chips.

While his aggressive style hasn't worked well for him in previous seasons of the Premier League, this time around Tony G steamrolled his opponents by winning three heats.

Black also had a good run in the heats, walking away with three victories and second place in the final points total to earn a pretty big starting stack at the final table as well.

One of the big stories of the PartyPoker Premier League this year was that Phil Hellmuth couldn't seem to get a foothold in the event after such a successful run in the league last year. In 2007 the Poker Brat topped the league by winning four heats to easily make the final table. This year, Hellmuth finished last after getting zero points in two of the heats.

Defending champion Juha Helppi also had some trouble with the tournaments this year. He typically excels in this tournament format, but he failed to even make the final table this year.

Roland De Wolfe ran into bad luck in the final heat to miss making the final table. De Wolfe needed just one point to solidify his automatic place at the final table.

He chose a more conservative style for that final heat and ended up busting out and not getting any points at all. Instead, Marcel Luske got the last spot.

De Wolfe ended up going to battle in heads-up play to get his spot. He took on Eddie Scharf while Duke had to play David Ulliott for her slot.

If Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Hopper and Salma Hayek all sat down at a poker table, who would you give the edge to?

If you picked Harrelson, you made the right choice.

The former Cheers star outlasted his celebrity competition at the Cannes 2008 Celeb Charity Poker game and split first place with French actress Alice Taglioni, according to a story on hollywoodtoday.net.

The event, which sees $500,000 paid to the winning actor's charity of choice, has become increasingly popular at the French film festival and the field of players gets larger each year.

One has to wonder if the time Harrelson spent filming the poker film The Grand, which was released earlier this year in select theaters, might have paid off for the Natural Born Killer.

Of course Harrelson wasn't the only player with some movie poker experience. Norton played "Worm" in the benchmark poker flick Rounders alongside Matt Damon. There was no word on where Norton finished but perhaps he would have benefited from some advice from Mike McDermott.

At any rate huge crowds gathered to watch the event, which was broadcast live from the Palm Beach Casino.

The long-awaited finale of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, showcasing the battle between heavyweights Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Andy Bloch, is set to air today.

Some players feel that the true test of poker skill is aptitude at playing heads-up. Other than how the cards fall, the only factors at play are the actions and reactions of the players. How well you know your opponent, both on and off the table, can be a huge factor in whether or not you succeed heads-up.

The road to the final table

To make it to the final two of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a player has to win five concurrent matches against randomly selected opponents. Ferguson and Bloch both had to make their way through a minefield of tough adversaries to get to the final table.

Jonathan Little clambered up to a 6-1 chip lead against Ferguson. Jesus' battle back was furious - he managed to double up twice, the first as he was holding a slight edge, and the second after getting it all-in with pocket nines versus Little's pocket fours.

With a slight chip advantage, Chris called Little's all-in bet with pocket nines, which held up against Little's 10-7 suited.

The semifinal matchup against Phil Ivey was one of the most spectacular, ending with Ferguson going into the tank, finally coming out to make a big call with pocket nines. They held up to beat Ivey's pocket sixes with an open-ended straight draw, sending Jesus to the finals for an amazing third time.

Round 1 saw Shannon Elizabeth miss a good draw on the flop, giving Bloch a seat in round two.

In Round 2, Bloch defeated another woman opponent, Vanessa Rousso, after they both hit a flop hard. Bloch's flopped two pair held up against Vanessa's top pair.

Round 3 started off with an early lead for Andy after he flopped a set of fours against Scott Fischman. The final hand had Fischman at a slight advantage getting it all in pre-flop. In the end Andy's hand hooked up a diamond flush for the win.

The quarterfinals found Bloch up against ex-Major League pitcher Orel Hershiser. After trading chips for a long time, Orel called off all of his chips with J-T against Bloch's A-9. The best hand held, sending Bloch to the semifinals with a freshly signed baseball.

Debatably, the toughest matchup for Bloch was against Huck Seed in the semifinals. An hour into the match, the two were almost even in stacks. With a slight chip lead, Bloch moved all-in with his A-Q, getting a call from Seed's pocket nines. Bloch caught an ace to ensure himself a seat at the final table.

Tune in to NBC tonight to see the semifinals, as well as the final match between Bloch and Ferguson, who proves to the world he may just be the world's greatest tournament NL Hold'em player.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Sun, 18 May 2008 19:34:25 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-headsup-poker-championship-finale-airs-26931/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-headsup-poker-championship-finale-airs-26931/http://www.pokerlistings.com/nbc-headsup-poker-championship-finale-airs-26931/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity EntertainmentHigh Stakes Poker rumored to be canceledhttp://www.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/hspiv-11615.jpg320

Is the popular poker TV show High Stakes Poker on the way out?

That's what numerous poker blogs including WickedChops and Pokerati are reporting. Apparently GSN has yet to renew the program at a time when it is usually filming new episodes.

Pokerati quoted co-host AJ Benza as saying:

"Far as Gabe and I know... the show isn't coming back. Apparently... the network is going to go in a different direction and that aint good news for our show, especially since we skew a higher-aged audience.

Never mind that we're the network's No. 1 show. Still and all, no one calls us from the network to say squat. Only Kevin Bellincoff checks in periodically, but it just don't seem like good news. If you ask me... They're treating us like s**t. All we ever did was make them a bunch of money."

High Stakes Poker featured professional poker's most well-known players buying in with their own money for $100,000 or more and trying to get the best of each other. The show kicked off in 2006 and has been running for four seasons with 13 episodes in each episode. The commentators were Sammy Farha for $998,000 pot.

One of the purported reasons for GSN's lack of interest in renewing the show is the departure of former GSN company president Rich Cronin, who championed poker shows on the network.

Many are wondering what the cancellation of High Stakes Poker would mean for GSN's other famous poker show - the World Poker Tour.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com]]>Fri, 16 May 2008 01:18:05 -0500http://www.pokerlistings.com/ihigh-stakes-pokeri-rumored-to-be-canceled-26903/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/ihigh-stakes-pokeri-rumored-to-be-canceled-26903/http://www.pokerlistings.com/ihigh-stakes-pokeri-rumored-to-be-canceled-26903/#commentsMovies, TV and More - Poker News in the World of Celebrity Entertainment